Unparalleled Teamwork
by Astra M
Summary: Behind-the-scenes story of Asuma's Team 10, and how the Ino-Shika-Cho trio came to be. ::Team Ten:: Now playing chapter 06: A Master's Evaluation
1. Chapter 00 The Birthday Party

_**Naruto Fanfic – "Unparalleled Teamwork"**_

_Written January 2008 by Astra M._

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Disclaimer: _Naruto_ copyright Masashi Kishimoto/SHUEISHA Inc. This is a derivative work based on the _Naruto_ series created purely for entertainment value; no profit is being made from its dissemination.

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General Background Note: Events of this story are based on the manga during the first Naruto arc, during that mysterious gray period running up to the first Chuunin exam, so be warned that there will be discrepancies from the anime (hopefully nothing too controversial). Also, please note that although I am a notorious ShikaIno shipper, this is still a __Team Ten__ story all the way. And lastly, don't forget that they're 12-13 years old at this time and will be acting like it... a lot._

_Author's Side Note to Seasoned Readers: Folks, welcome to my third major Naruto fanfic, which technically was my very first one. I had actually written a significant chunk when the Shippuden Team Ten arc began and basically blew a crater through the plot. So I abandoned it and wrote "Butt Out!" instead. Go figure. In any case, I planned on returning to it once "Bittersweet Sixteen" was completed, but now other personal events have persuaded me that it might be wiser to release what I can now. I'm fairly certain that this will be my last Naruto fanfic, because finding the time to do this is at a premium these days. But until then... I'll keep on plugging away!_

_Just so you know, this is going to be a multi-chapter fanfic, so if you like the story, by all means put it on "story alerts" because updates will slo-o-ow - the individual chapters are just too long!_

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Prologue - The Birthday Party**

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"Where is that lazy bum?"

Yamanaka Ino crossed her arms angrily as she glared down the empty aisle towards the entrance of the Yakiniki-Q. Next to her, Akimichi Choji was casting eager glances over his menu at the large cake sitting under the watchful eye of their _sensei_, Suratobi Asuma.

"He said he'd come," answered Choji with a gleeful smirk. "But if he doesn't make it, that means more for me!"

"That's not the point!" snapped Ino crossly. "He's _supposed_ to be here! I can't believe he'd actually miss out on his own birthday party!"

"It's your birthday, too," reminded Asuma calmly as he lit up a fresh cigarette.

"I _know_! That's why I'm so annoyed - he knows I hate to be kept waiting!"

Asuma merely inhaled as Ino fell back into her seat, huffing angrily. They had only been seated for about five minutes, and Ino had arrived much earlier than the appointed hour. Technically no one was late yet, but there was little to gain by informing her of that fact. Asuma sighed, considering his agitated female student. It was difficult to calm Ino down once she got upset, and there was really only one thing that would appease her now...

Fortunately it appeared just then in the shape of Nara Shikamaru, ambling up the aisle towards the rest of Team Ten.

"What a pain," he said by way of greeting. An angry female cluck instantly responded.

"It's about time you showed up!"

"Ino was worried," explained Choji to his best friend, prompting Shikamaru to raise a brow as he slid into his customary spot beside Asuma. Ino swiftly crossed her arms.

"I was _not_. I know how Shikamaru is," she said to Choji before turning back towards Shikamaru. "I just thought you had decided to go slack off somewhere else instead of coming out with us. You can do that any other day of the year but not for something like this!"

"Yeah, yeah," shrugged Shikamaru indifferently. "Well, here I am now... happy, Birthday Girl?"

Though his voice sounded bored as usual, a slight smirk played about Shikamaru's face, and Ino immediately perked up, her smile washing away her agitation. Asuma grinned. Sure, he knew that part of the reason behind Ino's renewed cheerfulness was that she loved being the center of attention... but another part was that she just wanted her teammates with her during these special occasions.

Or rather, her _friends_.

He watched amusedly as Ino began to bossily order Choji away from the the cake again, prompting Shikamaru to make a sarcastic comment, and they fell into their familiar routine of minor squabbling._ They're growing up so fast_, thought Asuma as he looked around the table at his team, a sense of fatherly pride rising up within him. They were slowly turning into fine Leaf ninjas right before his eyes, and they'd come so far from their initial rocky start. Asuma wondered how long the ride would last, until the day came when he'd finally see them off on their own. He had a feeling that it wouldn't be long now.

_How time flies. _

Asuma blew out a long trail of smoke as he recalled the very first day he'd been handed the reigns of this team. It seemed like only yesterday...

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AN: Lots more to come!_


	2. Chapter 01 Asuma's New Team

**Chapter One: Asuma's New Team**

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Asuma took a drag from his cigarette as he considered the trio of youngsters before him. With a sigh he exhaled a long fume of smoke, thinking about Kurenai and her damn wager. Well, he supposed it couldn't be helped - something about that woman's eyes had unexpectedly mesmerized him, and he had agreed to her proposal without thinking. At least Kakashi had gone along with it, too, or Asuma would have felt foolish once word spread around the _jounin_ ranks that he was a soft touch for a pretty face. Even now he could practically hear his old man's voice admonishing him: "_Don't forget the three sins of the shinobi, Asuma: alcohol, gambling and women!_"

_And still I fell for it. _

He grinned at that. But then as his eyes once more took in his new squad, Asuma was suddenly grateful for the nicotine rush pumping through his blood. These three kids were a frail, pale-looking bunch; more baby-faced children than prepubescent teens. It was hard to envision them becoming lean, efficient ninja of the Leaf one day. Asuma had to be honest with himself: overall things didn't look very promising.

But what the hell.

As per the usual custom, Asuma had brought them out to one of the open courtyards and sat them down to break the ice. Almost immediately he had cause to wonder if this had been a mistake. The trio began squirming and fidgeting on the bench, and Asuma was taken aback at their nervous dispositions. This was no way for fierce young warriors to start off their careers. Goodness knew they'd never get far without a showing a little more backbone.

Thinking about this, Asuma blew out another trail of smoke, even longer than before. The sound of three young voices coughing and hacking violently brought him back.

"Oops! My bad, my bad...," he apologized easily; he had a tendency to forget how unused most people were to his preferred brand of cigarettes. Smiling encouragingly, he settled on addressing them in a firm manner, in hopes of rousing their weak spirits.

"I'm Suratobi Asuma, in charge of Team Ten starting today I'm going to be tough on you guys, so be prepared!"

At that moment the three abruptly stopped coughing and peered warily up at him. Asuma was shocked to see that their cheeks were streaked with tears.

"There's no need to cry about it!" he admonished them. "All I said was that I'm going to be strict with you."

"It's your _stupid smoke_ that's making our eyes water!" yelled the black-haired boy, pointing an accusing finger up at him.

"_Ah_..." Glancing down at the lit stub sheepishly, Asuma heaved a sigh before he obligingly crushed out the cigarette. He supposed he could accommodate them at least that much. Then he resumed his address. "Let's introduce ourselves properly to one another, shall we? Just tell me a little bit about yourselves."

"What a drag," muttered the same boy from before, yawning hugely. He suddenly slouched over on his side, and the girl sitting next to him threw a contemptuous look.

"Ah, a volunteer already," Asuma said amiably as he leaned forward to fix the complainer with an interested gaze. "We'll start with you. And by the way, kid – sit up. It ain't nap time yet."

The boy scowled but lazily pulled himself upright nonetheless, and Asuma took the opportunity to study his features. He was of average height, build, and looks, and had his brunet hair pulled back so severely that it stuck out from the top of his head like a startled ponytail. Asuma would have pegged him for an entirely unremarkable specimen except for the oddly shrewd expression in his dark eyes. But perhaps that was merely a side effect of the bored look that appeared to be a permanent feature of his face. The boy yawned again, and then he began to speak:

"My name is Nara Shikamaru. What I like is to watch the clouds and do nothing. What I dislike is listening to my mother nag – for that matter I hate women in general; they're annoying. And it's too much of a pain to tell you what I want from the future."

Thus finished, Shikamaru abruptly slouched forward, propping his chin against a palm to stare fixedly ahead in a gesture of consummate apathy.

Asuma blinked, slightly taken aback at this singularly lackadaisical introduction. Then he frowned as he suddenly recalled a certain item from his debriefing notes – this Nara kid had the second worse grades in the entire graduating class, just barely edging out the infamous Uzumaki Naruto. _Candidate barely meets minimum graduation requirements. Achieved abysmal marks in all assignments, due to uniform failure to apply himself to the task at hand_; _an undisciplined student with zero motivation._

Remembering Iruka's final graduation assessment, Asuma sighed. _A lazy slacker, eh? _But then he smiled slightly, thinking back to the day all the _jounin_ were informed of the reasoning behind their new cell was meant to be a "balance" of talents: one student selected from the very best of the class, counterbalanced by one from the very bottom, and a third to round them out. _So this is the one designated as my team's weakest link. I guess he's already living up to his expectations. But I'll bet you must have thought I could sympathize with that attitude... isn't that right, Old Man?_

As Asuma reminisced, the girl made a loud "_tch_" sound, plainly annoyed by what Shikamaru had said about women. Crossing her arms haughtily, she sneered at him.

"Why am I not surprised? That's just the kind of lame thing all boys say when they're intimidated by a stronger girl – especially when they're already _weak!_"

Asuma raised an eyebrow but said nothing, wanting to see what Shikamaru's reaction would be. But instead of the angry outburst he expected, the boy merely yawned, ignoring her insult. Then he looked back at Asuma.

"Oh, yeah. I forgot to add that my hobby is napping, so naturally I like it best when things are _quiet_."

And with that Shikamaru tilted his head backwards and began gazing lazily up at the sky, unconcerned by the seething person sitting next to him.

_Hmm_, thought Asuma, biting back an amused grin. He already kind of liked this kid. Still, judging by the way the girl was starting to swell with indignation, he thought it would probably be wisest to move along with the introductions. "Okay, young lady - why don't you go next?"

The annoyance immediately vanished from the girl's face as she turned to flash a bright smile at her new sensei, and she began addressing them all in an extremely self-assured manner:

"My name is Yamanaka Ino of the Yamanaka florists. I like lots of things, but I guess I would prefer doing fun things like going shopping or meeting people most of all. My favorite hobby is designing flower arrangements and finding creative ways to use _hanakotoba_ - that's the language of flowers for those of you who don't know. And what I don't like is… a certain someone."

Unexpectedly, Ino's confident face clouded over, and she glanced darkly at the ground. Asuma noticed that even Shikamaru, who had been looking flatly disinterested in her speech, paused mid-yawn to cast a curious glance at her. But the odd look quickly lifted, and her face resumed its lofty air.

"But that's not important. Anyway, what I dream of is becoming a beautiful, strong _kunoichi_, and a proud successor to the Yamanaka clan!" Ino broke off, and clasping her hands together she added with a girlish giggle, "Oh – and also to someday marry a strong, dashingly handsome young man!"

While Ino sighed romantically, Asuma discreetly took a moment to examine her features: blonde hair, blue eyes, fair skin, a slender body and lovely face – someday she would become a real beauty. He smiled faintly, shaking his head.

_Poor Inoichi, your life is going to become a living hell once she starts dating._

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a low snort. He glanced over in time to catch Shikamaru rolling his eyes at the other boy, prompting him to chuckle appreciatively. Ino glared between the two of them and clenched her fists.

"Don't laugh – neither of you two losers are even in the running for the title of dashing OR handsome!"

The second boy's cheeks went pink and he quickly shut up, but Shikamaru merely scowled. "Yeah, whatever," he muttered quietly.

_Bit of a mean mouth on this one_, thought Asuma as he began mentally reviewing Iruka's assessment notes. _Candidate meets and exceeds graduation requirements. Consistently achieved high marks in all assigned tasks and was ranked top kunoichi overall in her class; an extremely competent, driven student._

_I guess this one is probably going to wind up becoming the team leader. _Asuma eyed Ino again, who was now looking down her nose at Shikamaru's annoyed face and gave a faint shrug. Well, mean girl or not, he needed someone as talented as her to make up for Shikamaru's shortcomings. Speaking of which...

"Great. Moving on to the next one." Asuma gestured to the second boy, who had already worked halfway through the bag of chips he'd apparently kept hidden in his pocket. This one, the _jounin_ noted, was round all over – face, belly, limbs – and his hair stuck out wildly from underneath the strange cap that covered his head. Iruka's comments returned: _Candidate meets graduation requirements. Achieved low marks in all assigned tasks, primarily due to poor concentration and bad habits; student has potential, but lacks self-confidence._

_Ah, yes - another one from the lower end of the selection pool._ He'd been warned beforehand that his cell was lopsided compared to all the rest, due to special circumstances. Still, the kid seemed normal enough, and he had a kind, cheery sort of face that vaguely reminded Asuma of a stuffed teddy bear. He supposed this one couldn't be all that bad...

The boy began to speak excitedly.

"My name is Akimichi Choji. What I like is food – all kinds of it. I'm not picky, as long as it's edible. And I especially love meat! Stewed, fried, steamed, and grilled is good… but barbecue is definitely the best. What I don't like is when food is bad – it's just inexcusable! A crime even! My hobby is snacking and I have a collection of all the different kinds of gourmet chips from various parts of the world…"

This went on for almost five minutes, as Choji related the minutiae about all the bags he'd collected since he was four years old. Asuma, already regretting that he'd stamped out his cigarette too soon, watched as Shikamaru leaned forward and gave his friend an exasperated look. Asuma then revised his opinion: _friendly, but a completely shameless glutton_. He was starting to feel his eyes glaze over when, mercifully, there came an interruption.

"Oh, that's enough already!" burst out Ino, again clenching her fists in annoyance. "Food, food, food! Is that all you ever think about? My goodness, it's no wonder you're so – _OUCH!_"

Ino was suddenly standing on her feet, her right hand clutched protectively over her rear. She spun around to stare incredulously at Shikamaru.

"You...! Did you just _pinch_ me?" she cried.

Asuma noted the curious look on Shikamaru's face as he glared back at Ino, an expression that appeared to be both harassed and embarrassed, yet defiant.

"And why the hell would I want to do something like that?" he asked sarcastically.

"I know I felt something pinching me!" insisted Ino stubbornly.

"You're just imagining things," mumbled Shikamaru as he turned away.

Asuma observed silently as Ino gazed uncertainly at Shikamaru for a few moments. Then she gingerly took her seat besides him again, but scooted noticeably closer to Choji, who likewise appeared confused by the interruption. Shikamaru's annoyance seemed to double, and then he let out a tiny sigh as if to say "whatever." And with that, Asuma's misgivings vanished.

_Hmm... looks like this is going to be an interesting bunch after all!_

"So much for the pleasantries," said Asuma cheerfully as he idly searched for his cigarette pack before checking himself. He already felt much better about the whole thing. "Now that you've gotten to know each other, we should –"

He abruptly broke off, noticing that Shikamaru had half-heartedly raised a finger, and his brows arched spontaneously at the gesture. _Well, this is unexpected bit of initiative._ "Er... yes?"

"Look, Asuma-sensei, we've all known each other for years," said Shikamaru before glancing over at Ino. "More or less, anyway." He returned to eyeing his teacher skeptically. "So I'm a little curious – how is it they decide on who ends up on what team? What exactly is their selection criteria?"

Asuma merely gave him a blank look, wondering how his student couldn't figure out such a basic thing. "It's based on your academy grades, of course. And your aptitude for various _jutsu_, and then there's also -–"

"I meant in addition to all that," interrupted Shikamaru, his expression turning shrewd. "Even after all those factors were considered, the final placements couldn't have been completely random. Or how else is it that Choji and I ended up on the same team? Given our grades, wouldn't it have been more likely that we'd be placed on separate teams?" His mouth abruptly twisted into a pout. "And why were we placed with _her_?"

"Yes, that's what I'd like to know, too!" added Ino, who had apparently missed the implications in Shikamaru's tone and was likewise watching Asuma with an accusatory air. Choji, he noticed, was also staring at him intently, even as he ate his chips.

Forehead creasing, Asuma glanced curiously between their probing faces, genuinely surprised – he had assumed these three already knew that answer.

"Um... you do know that all your fathers are friends, right?"

There was a moment of silence, then Shikamaru slumped forward as if he'd been thumped on the head, and Ino threw Asuma an incredulous stare. Choji just blinked uncomprehendingly.

"What does that have to do with anything?" demanded Ino angrily. "You mean to tell us that they actually stick us on teams based on our parents' relationships? Did our fathers decide this?"

Judging from their faces, Asuma could tell that Shikamaru and Choji thinking the same thing. He frowned.

"You're getting it wrong," he answered sharply, surprising himself at the uncharacteristic edge in his voice. He needed a cigarette badly. "Your cell placement has nothing to do with family influence – but at the same time, yes, it was largely based on how well those particular three worked together. Don't you all know that your fathers formed one of the very best three-man teams ever to come out of Konoha Village?"

They stared back at him blankly. Finally Shikamaru gave a bored shrug. "Yeah, I know the old man likes to bring up the past every now and then. So what?"

"_So what_, eh?" repeated Asuma with a sigh. He ran a hand through his hair as he paused to consider the mutinous trio, his consternation growing as he appeared to be wrestling with some private matter. Then he shrugged and reached inside his vest, where he pulled out a cigarette, finally caving in to the urge. _No point in getting wound up over small things_, thought Asuma as he lit up and took a deeply satisfying drag. _The sooner they learn that, the better. There are a lot of new experiences they'll need to get used to in this line of work. _Blowing out a long trail of smoke, he heard a fresh round of coughing. He broke into a wry smile. _Starting with this one. _

"To be blunt, cell arrangements are a tricky thing," resumed Asuma with renewed humor. "Your academy instructors carefully consider each individual's strengths and weaknesses, and based on their experience, try to place graduates with those fellow peers who are the most likely to help each other succeed. It's an educated guess, and not by any means a sure thing. But finding the right combination to form a stable three-man team is absolutely critical to the economy of our village. Mission success doesn't rest on the shoulders of any one individual, no matter how talented – it's a direct result of good, solid teamwork. And your fathers, from whom each of you have inherited specialized techniques, have a proven history of compatibility. Therefore… you could say that we're hoping lightning will strike twice."

Asuma thought, as he concluded, that this was sufficient reason to nullify any further complaints from his students – but he thought wrong. Instead all three young faces looking back at him had hardened. Ino, in fact, appeared ready to explode, Shikamaru was plainly skeptical, and Choji just seemed depressed.

Taking another fortifying drag, Asuma briefly weighed his next words, wondering if it would be a waste of time. Given their attitude, he probably should have stuck with the notorious bell test after all. But on account of their overall weak skill level, he'd thought a change was justified if only to give them all a somewhat even footing... or so he had planned.

_Ah, well._

"Look… never mind all that. What's done is done. You're just going to have to learn to deal with it. Besides, tomorrow morning you're going to have your first – and perhaps last – training session with me."

Now instead of varying degrees of discontent, all three youngsters wore identical expressions of shock.

"Sensei, what do you mean by _last_? We've only just met!" cried Ino.

Asuma smiled carelessly. "Well, here's the thing – technically, you three aren't out of the woods yet. True, you did graduate from the academy, but that really only means that your instructors think you've reached the point where you might be able to cut it as a _genin_. Consider yourself on probation, if it helps."

"Probation? What exactly do you mean by that?" wondered Shikamaru.

"Tomorrow is a special test, just for you three. Actually, all the other rookie teams from your class will also be undergoing their own tests, seeing as we're only going to accept nine students from the entire lot. Everyone else goes back to school." Asuma paused, gauging the now alarmed faces of his team. "You're going to have to prove to me whether you deserve the title of _genin_ or not. If you don't pass the test – say hello to your fellow flunkies when the next semester starts!"

"W-what do we have to do, Asuma-sensei?" asked Choji, a bit fearfully. Ino and Shikamaru likewise fell quiet, keen on listening to his every word. Pleased to have finally attained a measure of attentive respect, Asuma grinned, fully into the spirit of things.

"You'll find out tomorrow morning. Go to the spot where the river widens just above the rapids at nine o'clock – yes, you heard that right – and I really wouldn't advise eating a heavy breakfast before you come. Everyone got it? In that case... Team Ten dismissed!"

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The sun was hanging low in the sky as the three reluctant teammates made their way down the main street of Konoha, in the general direction of their homes. Ino walked at the forefront of the group, with Shikamaru skulking a few steps behind her and Choji trudging along besides him. No one said anything for some time, being lost in their own troubling thoughts, but it wasn't long before such heavy feelings had to find a verbal outlet...

"Man, what a total drag this is turning into," grumbled Shikamaru, breaking the silence first. He heaved a deep sigh.

"What are _you_ whining about? If anyone should be mad, it's me!" snapped Ino, who seemed to have been waiting for this chance to start in on someone. She looked back over her shoulder to scowl at the two boys. "I still can't believe this!"

"Frankly, neither can I," mumbled Shikamaru darkly as he shoved his hands deeper into his pockets. Choji said nothing.

But Ino didn't hear him, being far too caught up in her righteous indignation. "It's all wrong! I was the best _kunoichi_ in the entire graduating class. _I_ was the one who should have been on Sasuke's team. And it's Haruno who should be here with you guys, not me!"

Listening in spite of himself, Shikamaru winced. As far as he was concerned, Sakura the Sasuke Freak would have been just as irritating to be teamed up with. Then again...

"So why am I the one getting completely shafted just because I'm talented? Instead of being placed with someone awesome, I get stuck on a team with a pudgster and a pervert!"

"_Pervert_?" Shikamaru looked up to glare back at Ino. "Why the heck are you calling me a pervert?" he demanded.

Ino responded with her own incredulous glare. "Don't play innocent, Nara," she hissed. "I know you deliberately pinched me back there!"

"Only because it was getting way too noisy," muttered Shikamaru, who had hoped to forget the incident and was angered at his inability to defend himself. _And I'm not the one dressed like jailbait_, he thought savagely.

"Pudgster?" asked Choji suddenly. "What do you mean?"

Ino glanced away from Shikamaru to shoot Choji a contemptuous look. "Are you kidding? You inhale food like a human vacuum cleaner and it shows. Don't you know how unhealthy it is to be that _fat_?"

To Ino's surprise, she noticed that Shikamaru's face had immediately changed from annoyance to alarm, and she quickly saw the reason why: Choji, who had been so quiet a moment before, was turning deep red. Clenching his fists, he suddenly made a threatening movement towards her, but was prevented from advancing by Shikamaru grabbing hold of his scarf. Finding himself checked, Choji settled for hollering.

"I'M NOT FAT! I'M JUST BIG BONED! YOU GOT THAT? _I AM NOT FAT!_"

"Damn it, Choji, get a freaking grip! You can't go hitting girls!" yelled Shikamaru as he wrestled with his best friend. "And as for you, Ino," he said to the startled girl, his voice edged with deep anger, "I wouldn't say that word to Choji again if I were you, got it? _It's forbidden_."

To his satisfaction, Shikamaru saw that Ino's shock at Choji's apparent transformation had chastened her arrogant attitude and caused her to take a few cowering steps backward. But he in turn was caught off guard by the strange expression he witnessed crossing her face: not so much the fearfulness he'd expected but rather...?

In an instant it was gone, and Ino's eyes abruptly hardened as her face flushed a deep red. Then she threw back her head defiantly and pointed a finger at them.

"I don't care what the village elders want. We're _not_ teammates. I'd never choose to willingly associate myself with a pair of idiots like you!"

With that declaration hanging between them, Ino wheeled around and ran off down the street. Dropping Choji's scarf, Shikamaru scowled disgustedly as he watched her go.

_And I couldn't agree with you more_.


	3. Chapter 02 Father and Child, Pt1

**Chapter Two: Father and Child, Pt.1**

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~ At the Nara house ~_

The front door of the Nara house swung open and quickly shut with a quiet efficiency atypical for a twelve-year-old boy. No shouted greeting of "I'm home!" followed it, nor did any other indication of his arrival. But that was Shikamaru's style, as he had no desire to announce to his comings or goings lest he draw unwanted attention from a certain parent. Today of all days, especially, he wanted to do without the nagging – dealing with one loudmouthed female had been more than enough.

Luck was with him, it seemed. His mother was nowhere in sight, though Shikamaru knew that wouldn't be for long. Desiring nothing more than to go up to his room and slip out onto the roof, Shikamaru carelessly kicked off his sandals and shuffled down the hallway towards the stairs. He had just reached the base when a sharp voice spoke from behind him. He cringed.

"SHIKAMARU! How many times do I have to tell you to put your shoes away when you come home? Don't just leave them lying in the entryway for the whole world to see! What am I supposed to say if someone comes to visit and sees what a sloppy son I have?"

Wordlessly swinging back around, Shikamaru headed back to the entryway, moving as slowly as he dared. With his hands firmly jammed into his pants pockets, he used his feet to lift and push the sandals into their designated cubbyhole with exaggerated care. That done, he threw her a "_There, are you happy now?_" look and proceeded to move past her towards the stairs.

His mother scowled. "Don't take that attitude with me, young man! If I've told you once, I've told you a hundred times about leaving your things lying around. You can't expect me to pick up after you for the rest of your life!"

"Yeah, yeah – I've never heard _that_ one before," muttered Shikamaru just loudly enough to be heard as he began to climb the stairs.

"Shikamaru! Stop mumbling snide things under your breath – and don't walk away from me when I'm talking to you! _Shikamaru!_"

Just then the front door swung open and Shikamaru's father walked inside. "Hey, Yoshino, what's all the shouting about?" he asked as he came to stand behind his wife.

"Your beloved son is home, that's what," said Yoshino flatly as she stared angrily up the darkened staircase. Then she turned away and slumped against the wall, rubbing her hands down her face. "Oh, Shikaku, I don't know what I'm going to do. He's only twelve and see how he behaves already! I have no idea what it's going to be like to deal with him in another few years."

Sighing knowingly, Shikaku pulled her into his arms with practiced ease and began to rub her shoulders gently. "I know it's rough, but Shikamaru's just going through an ugly period right now," he soothed as he kissed her cheek. "He doesn't get how much you care about him. Someday he'll understand."

"Oh, sure, he will – after I'm _dead_," snapped Yoshino.

Shikaku could only smile weakly. "Well, probably not quite that long… but why don't you leave it to me to go check up on him now, eh?"

"Fine," sighed Yoshino as she in turn pecked her husband affectionately. "Just make sure he isn't about to roll off the roof or do something equally foolish. And don't forget to tell him that dinner's almost ready."

* * *

Shikamaru lay on his stomach crosswise over his bed, one arm folded under his chin as he idly ran his hand over the family cat, feeling envious. A lot of boys said they hated cats – there was some unwritten macho rule about it – but Shikamaru thought that was pure stupidity. Cats had it good. They could sleep all day, come and go as they pleased, and act however they wanted – and no one could get on their case about it, seeing as it was ingrained into their nature. Why was something acceptable in a cat unacceptable for a person? "Lucky fool," murmured Shikamaru as he scratched behind its ears, listening to the contented purring.

Hearing footsteps coming up the stairs, Shikamaru tensed. He glanced over at the open window, regretting now that he hadn't followed his original impulse and gone onto the roof. Besides, it was too much effort to make a bolt for it. Sighing, he quickly shifted so that his back was to the door, just as the footsteps stopped outside.

"Hey, Shikamaru," said Shikaku as he entered the room. "You're finally home. So how did it go?"

By way of acknowledgment, Shikamaru responded with an listless shrug.

Pausing at the foot of the bed, Shikaku considered his son and the argument he'd heard before entering the house. Usually Shikamaru was pretty good about avoiding fights with his mother; at least, he knew better than to do foolish things like leaving his shoes lying out. That was like waving a red flag at a bull. Also, there was something sullen in his manner. _More so than usual, that is._ Shikaku came around to the side of the bed where Shikamaru could see him and sat down.

"What's the matter, son? Something bad happen today?"

"In a manner of speaking," grunted Shikamaru, continuing to stare absently out the window. From the corner of his eye he could see Shikaku watching him shrewdly, putting two and two together, and he felt his guard go up. It bugged Shikamaru sometimes, as his father had an uncanny ability to guess right regardless of how little Shikamaru gave away. He wondered if today would finally be an exception.

"So who did they end pairing you up with? I thought it would have made you happy, being on the same team with Choji at least."

Shikamaru gave a little disgusted jerk – of course his father must have known this would have happened. He turned from the window to fix Shikaku with a flat expression.

"Choji's not the problem," he stated bluntly.

"I wouldn't think so." A slight smile played about Shikaku's lips. "So… how did you like Yamanaka's _daughter_ then?"

Shikamaru scowled, rolling again so that his back was to his father. "Extremely annoying."

Shikaku couldn't help raising an eyebrow. Coming from his son, that was a pretty strong sentiment. Shaking his head as he reminisced, Skikaku smiled wryly. "Ah, well. I suppose Inoichi and I didn't exactly hit it off, either. Not at first, that is."

Unexpectedly, Shikamaru quickly sat up and twisted around on the bed to face him, and Shikaku found himself on the receiving end of his son's penetrating gaze. "Speaking of that, there's something I don't get. If you guys are supposedly such good friends, how come we never really see you all together? I mean, why aren't they over here visiting you and vice versa? And why haven't our families ever gotten together?"

To Shikamaru's astonishment, Shikaku looked sheepish. "Ah, about that… it's a little complicated. The truth is that Inoichi, Choza, and I get along just fine. It's our wives who have a problem – specifically Mrs. Yamanaka and your mother."

Shikamaru just stared at his father. This was unexpected. "What kind of a problem?" he asked curiously.

Shikaku tapped his chin thoughtfully, appearing to carefully consider something, and then he shrugged. "Hmm… did you know that you were born one day before Ino?"

"No – but who cares? What has that got to do with anything?"

His father sighed. "To put it in a nutshell… there was a little incident at the hospital. Let's just say that it left both your mothers with an unfavorable impression of each other."

Shikamaru knit his brows, trying to imagine what could possibly have happened. But Shikaku didn't seem inclined to elaborate, as he continued on:

"Regardless, we did get together a few times, but you were all very young, so it's no wonder you don't remember. And things never really went very smoothly. Anyway, there were other reasons why we didn't do it more often. It's hard to gather informally with friends when you've got your own growing family and responsibilities to take care of. It's regrettable, but that's how life works."

Shikaku paused with a bittersweet smile. "But I guess it didn't matter in the end. You know, Choza and I were both surprised and pleased when you and Choji became friends all on your own. So perhaps it was inevitable that Ino would eventually find her way into your circle."

"Ino's _not_ a part of my circle. I'd never have chosen to be friends with an annoying _girl_. It's just our misfortune to be stuck together on the same team – which it seems is largely no thanks to you."

"Oh, is that how it is? Well, don't blame _me_ that she's a girl: if Inoichi had just gotten his act together and had the son he was supposed to like the rest of us…" Shikaku's smirk morphed into a sardonic grin. "Ah, but no one's perfect – as I often like to tell him."

Shikaku rose from the bed and left the room, Shikamaru thinking about his words as he watched his father go. He wracked his memory, perplexed by this new perspective. Up until then, he was positive that the first time he'd met Choji was the day they became friends, right after that lame game of Ninja… Then again, Shikamaru admitted, it wasn't actually the very first time he ever _saw_ Choji – just the first time he'd actually paid attention.

Even more surprising, however, was the revelation about their mothers' feud. "So for some reason they don't like each other, huh? Why am I not surprised?" Shikamaru mused, finding it ironic that this could be the first time he ever agreed with his mother on anything. "And Ino should have been born a _boy_?" Somehow this bit of news cheered him up more than anything. Although Shikamaru doubted he'd have liked her any better as a boy, not with that attitude…

"SHIKAMARU! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR, AN ENGRAVED INVITATION? GET DOWN HERE NOW!"

Shikaku quickly popped his head back into the bedroom. "Oh, did I forget to tell you that dinner's ready?"

Shikamaru narrowed his eyes at his father. "Geez, Dad, whose side are you on anyway?"

**

* * *

Author's Explanatory Note**:

The controversy here involves the question of whether or not Ino, Shikamaru and Choji hung out together as young children. I went with "no" because of the whole let's-be-friends story in manga chapter 190; prior to this I would have taken it for granted that they must have gotten together due to their respective fathers' relationship. But it doesn't seem that ever happened. So sorry folks, in this story there's no past history - Ino is little more than an academy acquaintance to Shikamaru and Choji.


	4. Chapter 02 Father and Child, Pt2

**Chapter Two: Father and Child, Pt.2**

_

* * *

~ At the Akimichi house ~_

Choji sat on the rooftop of his house, sighing as he watched the setting sun. It was his favorite place to be apart from the dinner table, outside in the open air with Konoha spread out before him; all it lacked was a bowl of snacks and Shikamaru lounging about to complete the picture. Today, however, he'd come here not for pleasure but for solace, and that was where his father Choza found him.

"Your mother has been calling for you. Dinner's on the table; why aren't you downstairs?"

"Oh, I… wasn't that hungry just yet," mumbled Choji sheepishly. "I guess I didn't hear her."

Choza raised an eye. "Are you feeling all right? You haven't hurt your stomach again, eating too many snacks between meals?"

"No, I didn't stop at the sweet shop today. I came up here instead…"

Choza smiled sadly as he looked at his son; he recognized these tell-tale signs, having had many years' experience in handling them. He quietly took a seat on the bench next to Choji.

"Hmm… Choji, didn't you find out today who the other members of your cell would be? Why don't you tell me about that?"

For a moment, Choji perked up. "Oh, that's right – I'm going to be on the same team with Shikamaru, Dad! I was so happy when our teacher announced it in class today! But…" Choji's face quickly fell again. "Yamanaka Ino is also going to be there."

Choza said nothing, but inside he was smiling. Shikaku was right again, as usual. _We were hoping, too, but weren't so absolutely certain: it seemed like too much to hope for. Guess that means Inoichi and I will have to split the bill the next time we all meet._

"Is that right? Why is that such a bad thing?"

"Well, she's…" Choji felt his face begin to heat up again. "She's _mean_. She called Shikamaru weak – and me fat!"

Choza turned quickly and looked sharply at his son. "And what did you do after that?"

"Um, I…" Choji blushed, recalling the incident. "I kind of… got mad. And then I, uh… tried to hit her. But Shikamaru stopped me, Dad!" he added hastily. "So nothing happened. In the end, I mean…"

"Thank goodness for Shikamaru's common sense, then," said Choza gravely. "Well, that wasn't very nice of her, Choji – but that doesn't excuse you from trying to hurt her. You were taught better than that."

Choji slumped, feeling lower than he had all day. Choza sighed, feeling sympathetic towards his son, yet concerned for his maturity and poor self-control. Choji was an honest, straightforward person, and felt things deeply – almost to a frightening degree – and Choza knew his son had many untapped strengths. But his lack of self-esteem weighed heavily on his father's mind: it was the root of so many of Choji's other problems.

"You're a man now, Choji, not a child. And it's not right for a man to attack a woman outside the field of battle. You're stronger than her – you shouldn't have allowed her words to rile you so. It's wrong for we who are strong to pick on those weaker than ourselves."

Choji registered his father's use of the word "we," and frowned sadly. _Come on, Dad – me, strong?_ He had never believed it. His father was certainly, as was the entire Akimichi clan: powerful, honorable, and noble… all except for him. Choji knew that he had come from the shallow end of their gene pool.

Choza, meanwhile, was fondly reminiscing about his own first day as a _genin_. It had been a rough start for him, too, though not nearly as bad as it had been between Shikaku and Inoichi. He'd always been surprised they hadn't ended up killing each other that first month, much less become such good friends. He supposed that if history really was repeating itself, Choji could at least benefit from his experience. After all, no matter what his friends insisted, Choza knew that _he_ was the most centered one of the bunch.

"She's your teammate now – so try being her friend." Choza paused, thinking back on his first impression of Inoichi. "I'm guessing she'll probably need one."

Choji gaped at his father, bewildered at this advice. "But Ino already has lots of friends! She's _always_ been one of the most popular girls in our class, ever since we started at the academy!"

"Perhaps that was so at the academy, but it's different once you join a team. You're no longer part of an established social circle; everyone has to start over," Choza replied knowingly. "You could call it an even playing field – a refreshing way to begin anew."

A small flicker of hope kindled in Choji's heart at the thought that, perhaps, someone like Ino could ever become his friend. But it was quickly snuffed out by reality. "Ino would never want to be my friend, Dad. I'm not exactly her type, you know." _Or anyone else's, for that matter._

Choza's reassuring eyes did not falter. "Don't be so sure about that. Who else will she have to grow closer to than you and Shikamaru? Besides, do you know for certain that Ino actually has a best friend? Even if she does, it isn't like they'll be able to visit each other every day. I'd say you and Shikamaru already have a great advantage over her in that respect."

"Well…"

Choji felt a gentle pressure on his shoulder. "Be kind to her, Choji. I know you can relate with how difficult it is to be without someone who understands you. And on that note – let's go eat now, shall we?"

Feeling his appetite return, Choji followed his father downstairs, thinking about Ino. Contrary to what Choza implied, he doubted that Ino would suddenly become desperate enough to accept his friendship for lack of better companions. Besides, Ino did have a best friend… and then Choji remembered: no, she _didn't_, not since last year anyway.

Choji had long considered Haruno Sakura to be in the same category of those other girls like Ino who floated in a social plane far above him. But now it struck him that she hadn't started out like that, had she? Come to think of it, Sakura had once been exactly like Choji: just another miserable member of the academy's social undesirables. Then one mysterious day she became a fixture at Ino's side. It had seemed strange at first, but then everyone got used to it… and Sakura herself gradually changed, so that eventually it felt like she had always belonged next to Ino.

And then one day, she wasn't.

How was it that a person like Sakura became Ino's best friend? And why would best friends become enemies? He had never really given it much thought before, and now it was a puzzle he wished he could talk to Shikamaru about. But then it came to Choji what his friend would (most likely) derisively say:

"_Girls are a mystery. Don't trouble yourself needlessly over them."_

Yes, it was just like his father said – at least Choji had Shikamaru. _He_ understood.


	5. Chapter 02 Father and Child, Pt3

**Chapter Two: Father and Child, Pt.3**

_

* * *

~ At the Yamanaka house ~_

"It's not fair!" wailed Ino for the third time that evening as she sat cross-legged on her parents' bed, distractedly squeezing the stuffing out of a pillow. "First that Haruno Sakura comes to brag that she was placed in the same cell with Uchiha Sasuke – _my_ Sasuke – and then I get stuck on a team with two of the biggest losers in the entire class! And if that isn't enough, I find out that the only reason it happened is because Daddy was in the same three-man cell as theirs. HOW is that my fault?"

"Don't be so dramatic, Ino darling," said the elegant woman sitting on a divan at the foot of the bed. She was older version of Ino, but with more classically striking features, stretching from her shapely legs up to the glorious mane that crowned her head. Everything she did seemed graceful, even the simple task of arranging a vase of flowers for that evening's table centerpiece. "And don't pout; it's unbecoming."

Ino's mouth twisted fretfully, making her appear more petulant than before. Falling silent, she regarded her mother with a mix of filial pride and envy: she was a lofty model of feminine beauty, and Ino aspired to measure up to her some day. No matter how she tried, though, it was apparent to Ino that something critical was lacking, and she couldn't figure out what it was. Perhaps it was that eventually Ino's temperament always got the better of her – or, as her mother would sometimes despairingly say, Ino simply took too much after her father. Neither were capable of passive acceptance when their worlds were thrown out of balance, as with now…

"I'm _much_ better than Sakura, Mom – everyone knows it! I was at the top of the class among all the other girls when we graduated. Sure, Sakura was a brainiac at all the written exams, but my grades were just as good and my techniques were all better! And I'm stronger and faster than her! It just doesn't make any sense!"

"People are placed on teams to provide the best mix possible for success," said Inoichi, who was leaning in the door frame watching his family. "It's all for the common good of Konoha – you can't let your personal feelings override that purpose, Ino. So if you ended up on a different team from that boy, there must be sensible grounds for it."

"Sasuke is not just _any_ boy," huffed Ino. "And Shikamaru and Choji are nothing like Sasuke!"

Outwardly Inoichi maintained a sympathetic face as he listened to his daughter's lament, but inside he was exultant. Discovering that he would not have to worry about Ino being teamed up with her crush was almost as good as finding out there would be a new Ino-Shika-Cho generation. It even took away the sting from Shikaku's having won yet another bet (not that he was all that sorry to have lost this one, anyway). And if Ino herself proclaimed that she wasn't attracted to either of her new teammates – that was all the better.

"Oh, I think those two boys will be just _fine_," said Inoichi, barely able to repress a smile. "You'll see."

"Your father's right, Ino. If you were placed on the same team with an Akimichi and that Nara boy, there must have been a good reason for it," added her mother dryly as she glanced towards her husband. "Even if the logic escapes us."

Inoichi sighed. _Still bitter after all this time…_

"There – all done!" Satisfied with her arrangement, Ino's mother rose from the divan. "Now I'm going to finish putting the meal together, so everyone come down soon."

Watching her mother sweeping regally out of the room, Ino sighed. _Such a long way yet to go._ She then noticed that her father was still standing in the doorway, observing her.

"Ino, now that your mother is gone, I have something I want to say to you."

Ino looked curiously back at Inoichi, but she immediately put aside the pillow she had been mangling and smiled brightly. "All right, Daddy," she said, moving aside to make room for him on the bed.

Taking a seat next to his daughter, Inoichi mused over how volatile Ino could be one moment, then how self-possessed the very next. He supposed it was partly his and her mother's fault. They were both guilty of indulging her, but Inoichi in particular found it difficult not to. He adored his daughter. He didn't care how many times Shikaku or Choza teased him through the years about not having a son, but Inoichi had been over the moon about his darling baby girl. He hadn't regretted that particular twist of fate from the moment he'd first laid eyes on her in the hospital, even though she had cost him _two_ bets with Shikaku. Now, if only that smug fool and Choza hadn't started in with their ill-timed jokes, their wives might still be speaking to one another… Then again, they hadn't been on good terms since even before the incident.

Still, Inoichi had to admit that there were times when perhaps it would have been easier if he was talking to a son – at least, he wouldn't have felt so unsure of his words. He believed that he had a good relationship with his daughter, although recently there were topics that weren't so easy to talk about, such as Ino's growing infatuation with beauty and cute boys. She was turning to her mother more often these days, and Inoichi found himself already longing after the years when his little girl's greatest concerns revolved around friendships and flowers.

It was also one area that Inoichi's friends were of no help to him at all. With no daughters of their own, they would never fully understand Inoichi's overly-protective attitude towards Ino, nor his fears of growing apart from his baby. Shikaku could joke that Inoichi was rapidly turning into a mother hen, but Inoichi would retort that Shikaku wouldn't be nearly so cocky if his precious Shikamaru had been a born a girl instead. Ah, if only fate had been so kind…

Inoichi sighed wistfully. Ino was already blossoming, and he supposed it was inevitable that she was slowly starting to pull away from him. And should there eventually come a day when he would finally have to give her up to another man, he would just have to cross that bridge when he came to it. But for now, at least, Ino was still his girl, and he knew what he wanted to say.

He cleared his throat as his daughter waited.

"Even if you don't consider them to be in the same category as an Uchiha, Akimichi Choji and Nara Shikamaru are good kids, Ino, and probably better than you give them credit for."

Ino immediately stopped smiling. "How can you say that, Daddy, you don't know them!" she cried indignantly. "I _do_, and let me tell you – Choji does nothing but eat all day, and Shikamaru's the laziest whiner in the entire village!"

"Maybe I haven't seen them the way you have," admitted Inoichi. "But I do know them through their fathers, and because of that I trust them. They come from good families. And whatever shortcomings you think they may have, they'll grow out of over time. Boys become men, eventually."

Ino turned away angrily. "I don't know, Daddy. I feel like _I'm_ the one being shortchanged here."

"I'll say it again, Ino. Regardless of how you may personally feel about those two boys, they're ninja just like you and are both your teammates now. And the moment you became a _genin_, you took on a responsibility to Konoha greater than yourself."

"Oh, come on, Daddy! You make this sound like I'm letting down the whole village or something! What does it matter to the Hokage or anyone else if I think that I have a lousy team? Especially since it's _true_."

"The fate of the team and the destiny of all Konoha are essentially the same, Ino – I want you to remember that. Someday you'll understand. But putting all that aside," Inoichi leaned over and kissed his daughter's cheek, "I'm very proud that you've come so far. Do your best tomorrow, princess."

Inoichi rose from the bed and exited the room, and Ino was finally left alone to sort out her feelings in private. No matter what her father said, she could not reconcile herself to the alleged wisdom behind her team assignment. Still, Ino had to admit that she was no longer so upset as when she had first arrived home. That was something she loved about talking with her father: he had a way of helping her put things in perspective, so that even if she didn't like the reasoning behind a decision, at least she could appreciate _why_ things were so. It helped more often than not.

And for better or worse, it looked like she was going to be stuck with Shikamaru and Choji for quite some time. Ino sighed dejectedly, failing to see any positive outcome. _We'll probably be the worst team in the entire group… _ Then an image of Sakura's gloating face sprang to mind, and Ino found herself growing angry all over again. _That brat, coming just to throw it in my face that she's on Sasuke's team, acting as if she's already won…_

Then she remembered something interesting – a piece of news Sakura had neglected to mention, that Ino uncovered only after she went to double-check the official team assignment sheets. Breaking out into a smirk, Ino's spirits quickly lifted at having finally found the one tiny silver lining to all this.

_On the other hand, she'll also have Uzumaki Naruto for a partner as well. It must be driving Sakura crazy._

**

* * *

Author's Explanatory Note**:

Although I prefer to avoid creating characters, it can't be helped – you can't avoid going out on a limb with Ino's mother. I'm sure this mystery will be cleared up at some point, but for now... oh, well. She's more of a queen in this story. I've written her differently elsewhere.

Another controversy here involves how Ino was informed by Sakura of her being teamed up with Sasuke in manga chapter 54; contrary to the anime, they couldn't have been in the same classroom when Iruka announced his cell arrangements in chapter 3. Unless Kishimoto messed up...? Probably best not to think about this one too hard.


	6. Chapter 03 The Genin Challenge, Pt1

**Chapter Three: The **_**Genin**_** Challenge, Pt.1**

* * *

The place they gathered at the next morning had a notorious reputation in Konoha. It was situated just upstream from a section of fierce rapids that eventually flowed into a waterfall about a mile further downstream. Although the water was inviting and the rapids a comfortable distance off, the current was deceptively strong in this area, and as such it was strictly off limits to the children of the village. In fact, it was the first time that Ino, Shikamaru, or Choji had ever come to this place.

Although Ino arrived early, with Shikamaru and Choji trailing just behind, Asuma was already waiting for them. He took a languid drag on his cigarette as he watched each one take a seat on the grass before him.

"Well, well," Asuma remarked mildly as he studied their attentive faces – a marked change from the previous day. "Looks like everyone's rather eager this morning, eh?"

They said nothing, watching him anxiously; even Shikamaru appeared to be valiantly suppressing a yawn. Asuma smiled, taking a final drag on the cigarette.

_Okay, kids, here's where we either make or break this deal. Time to get started…_

"You see the river," he gestured behind them. "You've all heard about its inherent hazards since you were little, I'm sure. Rest assured the danger was _not_ exaggerated." Next Asuma pointed towards an outcropping of rock. "In the middle of the river is a large boulder – a mini island, if you will. On that rock is a container for paper scrolls. The mission is this: whoever retrieves a scroll and returns it to me on this side of the shore – _completely unharmed_ – by noon today will pass this challenge. Is that clear?"

Asuma paused, watching his students quickly perk up. "Well, that doesn't sound so hard," said Choji as Shikamaru smirked. "We'll have that done in fifteen minutes."

"Oh, yes, that reminds me… there are a few more rules. Under no circumstances may you use any special ninja skills, weapons, or tools to complete this mission: it's just straightforward legwork, folks. Use of any such skills, weapons or tools will be considered cheating and immediate grounds for failure… and it'll be straight back to the academy for you."

"_What?_" exclaimed Ino, who was looking a trifle less confident. "But Asuma-sensei, isn't this a test? What's the point of doing that?"

"It's just the rules of the challenge, Ino. As often happens on real missions, sometimes you must comply with parameters that make things much more difficult for you."

"_Tch_," scowled Shikamaru as he slumped over on his side. "In other words, it's just another pain-in-the-ass exam after all."

"Requiring no more than the usual pain-in-the-ass effort, Shikamaru, as often happens on real missions. And there's a final piece to this challenge that you all may not mind so much: I won't actually be watching you."

"But then how can you know we won't be cheating?" wondered Choji.

Asuma grinned broadly.

"Consider yourselves on the honor system, Choji, just like… well, you get the idea. Now everyone come here and hand over your contraband – _yes_, Choji, that includes your snacks – and we'll get started."

* * *

True to his word, Asuma left them alone for the test, assuring them he would know if they were cheating or not, and promising he'd be back shortly before noon. The three watched him vanish into the surrounding forest before turning back to contemplate the river.

Thirty seconds passed in silence. Then –

"That's it. I quit," proclaimed Shikamaru, suddenly throwing himself down on a patch of grass.

"_What?_" exclaimed Ino for a second time, utterly shocked. "Are you completely out of your mind? You can't just quit; you haven't even done anything yet!"

"But I can already tell it's going to be too much trouble," yawned Shikamaru as he stretched out fully. "So why should I even bother?"

"What do you mean _'it's too much trouble'_? What kind of a lame answer is that?" demanded Ino.

He gave her an irritated look. "Can't you figure it out for yourself? Just look at the whole scenario – we can't use chakra, we can't use any tools, and it's not like we can leap or fly over there. Basically, the only thing we can do is swim across – and that's _really_ stupid in this current." He blinked his eyes sleepily. "Way more trouble than it's worth."

"Oh well, I guess that's that, then," said Choji, lowering himself down next to Shikamaru. "But I wish Asuma-sensei hadn't taken away my snacks, though. I didn't eat a very large breakfast."

Ino turned to stare incredulously at Choji. "Don't tell me you're going to quit just like that, too!"

Choji looked blankly at Ino. "Well, if Shikamaru thinks it's a bad idea, then it is," he answered simply.

"I can't _believe_ this…" hissed Ino, stalking away from them. "Well, you two slackers can do what you want, but I'M not giving up just yet!"

Left in peace, Choji idly pulled out blades of grass and stuck them in his mouth, watching Ino pacing angrily along the riverbank. After a few minutes he said, "Hmm… do you think she's going to try it anyway, Shikamaru?"

"Who cares?" muttered Shikamaru, settling in for a good nap. "Annoying girl…"

* * *

Half an hour passed.

_I'm getting absolutely nowhere_, thought Ino, starting to feel desperate. She had spent that time fruitlessly walking up and down the bank, trying to figure out the best way to make it to the scroll rock. But no matter how she wracked her brain, it was as Shikamaru had said: the only way to get across was to swim for it…

Ino gulped.

She stared down at the dark water swirling rapidly by. It didn't really look very deep – but it was hard to tell. Still, Asuma wouldn't really have assigned them a task they had no hope of completing, right?

Ino furtively stole a glance back at the two idiots lolling on the ground. From what she could tell, Choji had raided a nearby berry bush and was playing a game of catching the fruit in his mouth; and as for that lazybones Shikamaru – was he actually staring up at the _clouds_? Ino scowled, but also breathed a sigh of relief: neither were paying any attention to her. Regardless of her low opinion of the pair, she still wasn't keen on embarrassing herself in front of them. And though it would kill her to admit it, this was not something she felt very brave about.

_But brave or not, I made a vow. I just can't lose to Sakura. Not right at the very start!_

Sitting down at the edge of the river, Ino carefully removed her sandals. She wished she could have taken her skirt off, to prevent its becoming wet, but there was absolutely no way she'd do that with two dorky boys present. She would have to consider it a sacrifice to a good cause.

Bracing herself, Ino took a calming breath. _You can do this, girl._

She lowered a leg into the water.

"Ino, you can't _possibly_ be serious," she heard a bored sounding voice suddenly call out from behind her.

She cringed, but squaring her shoulders, Ino proceeded to lower her other leg into the river. She paused a moment to adjust to the river's tug, and pushing herself upright, was delighted to find that the water only came up to her thighs. She took a few wobbly steps forward.

"Are you really going to go for it?" said Choji, licking his fingers. He was standing on the bank directly behind Ino, looking at her in wide-eyed astonishment. "Shikamaru said it wasn't a good idea."

Feeling much more confident, Ino turned back to face Choji. "And what would Shikamaru know about it, seeing as he's too busy laying around instead of actually trying something?" She shook her head dismissively and flashed Choji a sympathetic smile. "I know he's your friend and all, Choji, but you really shouldn't follow him around so blindly. Be your own person."

Choji frowned, falling silent. Ino, feeling vindicated, turned around and began to wade further into the water, which was steadily creeping up towards her hips. She hadn't gotten very far when she heard Shikamaru's annoyed voice ring out.

"You actually think you're going to be able to _wade_ your way across to that boulder?"

Ino felt her irritation rise. _Geez, does that jerk have to mock everything I do?_ "You just watch me!" she shouted back. "I'll have that stupid scroll in no time!"

Now Shikamaru stood up as well. He came to stand next to Choji, watching Ino's unsteady progress against the current. The water, he noticed, was already up to her waist.

"Hey, Ino! You're going to be in over your head in another second if you keep on going!"

Whatever Ino's response would have been, Shikamaru never found out. She was looking angrily over her shoulder to yell back at him as she took a step forward – and immediately sunk beneath the surface of the water.

"_Whoa_… good call, Shikamaru," whistled Choji.

"Geez – I told her so, the mule," Shikamaru sighed.

Ino suddenly reappeared with a giant splash. She flailed her arms in a wild panic, went under a second time, and resurfaced with a loud gasp, gulping air frantically.

For a moment, Choji and Shikamaru watched completely stunned from the bank.

"You've gotta be kidding me – _you can't swim?_" hollered Shikamaru. In response, Ino's blonde head bobbed once, twice… and rapidly disappeared underwater.

_Oh, crap! _

"Choji – stay here on the bank! Get ready to go for help if you have to!" And then without another thought, Shikamaru took a running leap and plunged himself into the rushing current.

The tow of the river quickly became frightfully strong – much more than he'd ever experienced, and for a few horrible seconds Shikamaru wondered if he hadn't just done something exceedingly stupid. But an image of Ino's terrified face popped into his head, and he spurred himself on. Annoying girl or not, she was going to drown if he didn't reach her in time. He dove deep, half swept along himself, reaching out blindly – and then miraculously he felt his fingers grazing against another body. Seizing the limp girl around the waist, Shikamaru kicked up as hard as he could.

They broke the river's surface and suddenly Ino came to life, sputtering and shrieking. She instinctively threw her arms around Shikamaru and began to thrash wildly.

"Ino!" yelled Shikamaru as he struggled with her, trying to keep her from dragging them both down in her terror. "You've got to calm down! You'll kill us both if you keep this up! _Stop it, Ino!_"

At that moment he felt his back slam into a rock and come to a stop – they were at the leading edge of the rapids, and had fortunately been halted by one of the smoother, sloping boulders. Shikamaru shuddered, feeling his heart beating wildly in his chest. He doubted either Ino or he would have survived if they'd entered the actual rapids. Sighing, he collapsed back against the rock while Ino began to sob into his chest, too tired to tell her to get off. It was a weird sensation – the first time he'd ever been this close to a girl. It might have been interesting if he hadn't just had about ten years scared off his life.

"Shikamaru! Are you and Ino okay?" yelled Choji from nearby. He was panting heavily from his own mad sprint down the bank. "I thought you guys were going to be killed!"

"Me too, buddy," muttered Shikamaru. He tried to shift his position on the rock, but it was hard to move with Ino wrapped around him. He gave her a tiny shake. "Ino, stop crying. Look, it's okay – we're safe now."

"S-safe?" Ino sobbed, as she lifted her head up to take in their predicament. "But we're s-still in the water, right n-next to the rapids – _and I can't swim!_"

_Yeah, well, I'm still working on that hurdle._ Shikamaru knit his brows, trying to figure out how he was going to transport them both safely onto the bank. He eyed the swiftly rushing water, the bank where Choji stood looking anxiously at them, and then down at the shaking Ino.

He grimaced. Knowing what he had to do didn't make it any easier to carry out.

"All right, Choji. Tie one end of your scarf around your wrist and carefully throw the other end out to me!" yelled Shikamaru. "And then anchor yourself well, buddy – you're going to help tow us across this current, okay?"

"Roger!" Immediately Choji set to work with his scarf. Satisfied, Shikamaru next pulled Ino up and looked her in the eye.

"Listen. You aren't going to like it, but you've absolutely _got_ to do what I tell you to do now. I'm going to swim across the current, and Choji is going to pull me – and I'm going to drag you along with me."

Ino's eyes widened fearfully at this plan and she shook her head vigorously. "_No!_ No, I can't, Shikamaru, I _can't!_"

"You can float on your back, Ino – _yes, you can!_" Shikamaru insisted as Ino continued shaking her head. "I know you're scared, but you've got do this with me. You don't want to die here, do you?"

Ino abruptly stopped shaking. "N-no…"

"Of course not," Shikamaru agreed, feeling relieved that Ino was finally calming down. "Me neither. And we're not going to – all right?"

It took a few more minutes of cajoling, but eventually Shikamaru managed to convince a reluctant Ino about the necessity of his plan. At last, with Choji's scarf now in hand, he gave her a final pep talk as they prepared to reenter the river.

"Keep your lungs filled with air and don't let yourself panic. Just close your eyes and think of something relaxing. And don't forget – you'll be able to feel my arm around you all the time. I'm not letting go, okay?"

Ino drew in a shuddering breath, but she nodded. "Okay… let's do it."

"Here we go, Choji!" yelled Shikamaru as he positioned himself behind Ino and carefully eased them into the water. He had a moment of anxiety when he felt Ino stiffen as her legs floated up and her hands came up to seize hold of his forearm. But she took another breath and relaxed slightly, and Shikamaru realized that this was as good as it would get. The faster they got to the bank, the better. Grabbing firmly onto the scarf, he kicked off from rock and into the swift water.

_What a horrible feeling_, thought Ino, trying desperately to remain calm as she felt herself being pulled helplessly through the swift current. _Relax, relax… don't distract Shikamaru!_ She tried to think of something pleasant. _Sasuke, perhaps?_ NO, that was hardly relaxing, especially as dreaming about him tended to call forth images of Sakura. _My family, then?_ No, that was hardly any better – she recalled her near drowning, the fear of never seeing them again. The darkness was terrifying…

Ino's eyes flew open. She felt Shikamaru moving beside her, his arm still firmly around her, the cool water rushing around them, and above, a beautiful blue sky filled with clouds that seemed close enough to touch…

She gasped. It was just like she was flying.

Her hands let go of Shikamaru and floated freely to her sides. Ino registered his arm tightening around her, and suddenly she felt a sense of utter peace wash throughout her body, a wonderful feeling that she had become lighter than air as she gazed up into the floating islands of cotton…

_Wow._

_

* * *

Damn, that was close_, thought Shikamaru as he lay panting on the grassy bank as Choji looked on in concern. He eyed Ino warily as she lay next to him, breathing calmly as she continued to stare up at the sky. She hadn't said a word since they'd hauled her out of the water, and at first Shikamaru thought she might have just snapped from the fear. Certainly he'd had a moment of terror himself when she'd suddenly let go of his arm. But right after that she had been so totally relaxed that Shikamaru had no trouble pulling her along, and they'd quickly reached the safety of the bank. _Thank God._

"Er, Ino? Is everything okay?" repeated Choji for the third time.

Nevertheless, Ino was acting strangely. She was far too mellow for the ordeal they'd just gone through, and it was seriously starting to tick him off. And why the hell was she staring off into space like that? Pulling himself up into a sitting position, Shikamaru turned around to glare at her.

"Damn it, Ino. Are you all right already or aren't you?"

"Huh?" said Ino, finally coming out of her reverie. "I was just thinking… the clouds are kind of nice, aren't they?"

_EH?_ thought Shikamaru, staring at Ino as if she'd grown a second head.

"Um, I guess…" said Choji uncertainly, peering closely at Ino. "Are you _sure_ you're feeling okay?"

"Hmm...? _Oh!_" exclaimed Ino suddenly, blinking in surprise as she finally noticed Shikamaru and Choji staring at her. "It's nothing… never mind." Ino sat up quickly, slapping her cheeks, and then she was back to her usual self. She felt a violent shudder pass through her, and she quickly wrapped her arms around herself. All the suppressed fear came rushing back, and she rolled over on her side and began to weep with relief.

_Well, that's more like it_, thought Shikamaru. _Even though it's troublesome, too._


	7. Chapter 03 The Genin Challenge, Pt2

**Chapter Three: The **_**Genin**_** Challenge, Pt.2**

* * *

More time passed. Choji and Shikamaru were again lounging on the grass some distance away from Ino, ostensibly to allow her privacy while she recovered herself, but really because they were both extremely uncomfortable with the emotional display. Choji was rubbing his belly plaintively, quietly praying that noon would roll around quickly, and Shikamaru was on the verge of nodding off again when they both heard a soft voice above them.

"Er… Shikamaru? Choji? I just wanted to say thank you for saving me, and… I'm really sorry I put you both through all that."

Shikamaru opened an eye and found Ino looking down at him with a markedly chastened face – gone, for the moment, was the bossy, temperamental girl who had been treating him and Choji so coldly ever since they'd been assigned to the same team. He arched his brows in surprise.

"You're welcome," he answered, the corner of his mouth twitching up slightly. Choji broke into a grin and Ino, with less uncertainty, began to smile as well. And for a minute, there was a silent truce between the three teammates.

Of course, it didn't last.

"Ino, why did you try to cross the river if you couldn't swim?" asked Choji.

Shikamaru sat up. It was something he too had been mulling over while they'd waited for Ino to stop crying.

A troubled expression flickered across Ino's face as she sat down on the grass across from them; she appeared to be wrestling with something. "It's just… I didn't want to lose to _her_…" she finally mumbled.

"'Her' who?" wondered Shikamaru as he curiously examined her face. "Are you talking about _Sakura_?" He frowned at Ino. _So what the heck does that have to do with anything?_

Ino looked chagrined, like she hadn't meant to say that much. She stared uncomfortably down at the grass, saying nothing.

"I don't know," began Choji tentatively. "I think that was really dan–"

"Flat-out stupid," interrupted Shikamaru bluntly. "Especially for such a lame reason."

Ino's pink face flushed deeply, and she stared daggers at Shikamaru. "I never said anything about Sakura!" she shot back defensively. "_She_ has nothing to do with it! I just want to win, damn it!" She pointed accusingly at both Choji and Shikamaru. "And never mind me – what I don't understand is what's the matter with you two idiots that you don't feel the same way about this! Are you actually trying to lose _on purpose?_"

Shikamaru turned away with an annoyed grunt, while Choji looked down at his shoes dejectedly. Ino felt her disgust with the two rise yet another notch.

"Listen here! I really want to be a _genin_ – I just have to make it! Don't you guys want to be one, too? Why did you spend all that time at the academy if you'd rather have been something else? I mean, I know _you_ spent most of the time sleeping, Shikamaru, while _you_ were always stuffing your face, Choji – but seriously, is that all you two ever thought about?" She pointed at Shikamaru. "Don't your relatives own a deer herd? You could have just gone into the family business!"

"No, I wouldn't; herding deer is a total pain in the butt. And conversely, Ino, why didn't _you_ want to become a florist?"

"Who says that I can't do both? I'll make a great florist, too, and run a wonderful stall someday: _Lovely Ino's Flower Shop_, the best in all of Konoha!"

"I'll believe it when I see it," muttered Shikamaru, rolling his eyes. _There goes that overbearing ego again._

Ino ignored him, turning instead on Choji. "So what about you? Or are you as unmotivated as this guy?"

Choji, however, looked up thoughtfully at her. "You know, when you ask me about that… I think maybe it's all because of my father." Noticing their confused expressions, he added shyly, "My father is a proud warrior, strong and well-respected. And I think I'd like to grow up like him, more than anyone else."

Neither Ino nor Shikamaru had anything to say to that.

Fingering the Leaf headband wrapped around her waist, an image of Inoichi appeared in Ino's head: a memory of the first day she had entered the academy. Her whole family had been pleased, yet none so much as her father. And even so he had said this to her: _You can still be anything you want to be, Ino. I'll always believe in you._ Ino smiled wistfully. She could say whatever she wanted to about someday becoming a florist, but being a ninja was the true family business.

"Maybe… you're right, Choji," admitted Ino. "I think it's the same for me, too. I didn't have to enter the academy – but I wanted to, because of _him_." She thought back to what Inoichi had been trying to tell her the previous night. It still wasn't entirely clear to her, but she was now certain of one thing: "We weren't kids anymore, the moment we received these things… and I don't want to let him down."

Glancing at her teammates, Ino was startled at the sudden transformation in their demeanor. Choji had perked up, and was looking at her with something like admiration. But Shikamaru's face had inexplicably grown darker and his scowl deepened. He promptly rolled over onto his side, with his back to both Ino and Choji.

"Forget it. _I'm_ not doing anything else," said Shikamaru crossly. "Go jump in that river again for all I care."

Ino gaped at him like she'd been slapped. Then she angrily got to her feet. "I… I didn't _ask_ you to!" she snapped as she stormed away from them. "And you can go dream your life away for all I care!"

Listening to her go, Shikamaru could feel Choji's eyes on his back, but he made no move to acknowledge him. A feeling of resentment had seized him. Unlike the others, Shikamaru had never wanted to attend the academy. His first day at school was one of the worst days of his life, and he'd had a terrible time trying to adjust to all the sudden expectations placed upon him. He knew the reason he had been forced through three full years was because of his mother: as she put it, she wasn't going to support a lazy, useless son for the rest of his life. Only the knowledge that one day he'd finally be free to do exactly as he pleased kept Shikamaru going. It burned him that Ino could talk so blithely about parental expectations. It must be nice – _he'd_ never been asked.

Of course, asking was not exactly Shikaku's style, either.

"Shikamaru…" said Choji quietly. "Is it really all right, leaving it like this?"

He scowled, feeling a twinge of guilt prick his conscience. However rebellious Shikamaru felt towards his mother, his father was another matter. Yoshino could nag, wheedle, and order until she was blue in the face, and Shikamaru was all indifference; but all Shikaku had to do was tell him a thing and for some reason Shikamaru felt compelled to listen. His father was also not the kind to reveal everything he was thinking – he often let his son work that out for himself. And it was through Shikaku's silence while his wife badgered that Shikamaru knew his father had wanted him in the academy as much as his mother did.

Shikamaru sighed, feeling all the fight go out of him. He pushed himself up off the ground and went off in search of Ino.

Choji just smiled as he got up to follow his friend.

* * *

Ino found herself back at the same spot she had started from earlier that morning, again staring out at the scroll rock. The challenge was a lost cause and she knew it, and she was struggling to quell a deep sense of disappointment. What would Sakura say when she found out that Ino hadn't even made it past the first mission? Never mind that – what would her _father_ think?

"Man, what a pain in the _butt_ this is."

Whipping around, Ino discovered Choji and Shikamaru standing behind her. Too surprised to be angry, she looked at them questioningly. "But… I thought you said you weren't going to do anything anymore?"

"Yeah, well… that's what I _said_…"

Ino looked at Shikamaru suspiciously: his face suggested he was struggling with something and he looked more annoyed than usual. Then, heaving a weary sigh, he stepped towards her. Unexpectedly, she felt him grab her roughly around the waist.

"HEY! What do you think you're doing, Shikamaru?" she screeched, stunned by his brusque forwardness. She felt herself being jerked as he finished tying Choji's long scarf around her torso and knotting it tightly.

"Aw, don't get all excited," Shikamaru answered as he stood back again, tossing one end of the scarf to Choji. "It's annoying." He began tying the other end around his wrist, and Choji followed suit. "Here's the deal, Ino. Choji and I are going to swim across to that boulder – and we're gonna tow you along with us. Do me a favor and try not to drown this time, okay?"

Ino's eyes widened. "_Oh_… Okay!"

* * *

Getting across to the scroll rock was a lot harder than even Shikamaru anticipated, given the awkwardness of hauling Ino. Yet somehow they managed it, and no sooner had Shikamaru and Choji mounted the boulder than they felt themselves being tugged forward as Ino rushed towards an iron chest.

"Can't a fellow rest for a bit?" griped Shikamaru as Ino pried open the top.

"Are you kidding? Have you looked at the sun lately? We've lost a lot of time already…"

The cover lifted up heavily on its hinges and clanged loudly against the rock. She kneeled forward eagerly, while Choji and Shikamaru peered over her shoulders, feeling excited in spite of themselves – until they got a good look at the contents.

"Why is there only _one_ scroll inside the chest?" wailed Ino, seizing the sides and attempting to shake it violently, as if to coax an extra scroll forward. "Didn't Asuma-sensei say there were several?"

Shikamaru frowned. "No – technically he said that '_whoever hands him a scroll_' passes the test… that tricky jerk." He gave a disgusted snort. "And it's no wonder he didn't have to stick around."

"What do you mean?" asked Ino as she and Choji turned to look at him.

Shikamaru plopped down on the rock, sighing. "Well, I'd been wondering about the whole point of this stupid 'mission.' In the end the sole way we could make it to this rock was by swimming… but obviously without any tools we have no way of carrying the scroll back without ruining it. So the only way we could possibly get a scroll back across was by cooperating – say, having someone hold the scroll above the water while another person drags them. But because there is just a single scroll…"

Now it was Ino's turn to look disgusted. "What kind of test is this? We can't complete it unless we work together, and even if we cooperate –"

"Only _one_ of us is going to be able to pass in the end," finished Shikamaru. "What a pain."

"Er… so what are we going to do now?" asked Choji.

They fell silent, contemplating the solitary scroll. A sense of ill-will settled over them.

"I've already said I wanted to be a _genin_," declared Ino, firing the opening shot. "I'm not planning on being sent back to school!"

"That's true," sighed Shikamaru, crossing his arms behind his head. "But man, going back to the academy would be such a drag, too. Three years of boredom was plenty for me."

"Yeah, I don't really want to go back, either," agreed Choji. "It's much nicer to be able to eat whenever I want without getting in trouble."

"Don't act like you're both so keen to be out of school now!" yelled Ino, pointing accusingly at Shikamaru. "Just awhile ago weren't you the one who didn't even care if you passed this test or not?"

"Maybe you were just too convincing, Ino," said Shikamaru dryly. "How does that make you feel now?"

Ino glared angrily at the pair of them, but Shikamaru remained unrepentant and Choji, though anxious, said nothing. She finally gave an exasperated sigh. "_Look_ – we can't all pass this test. We have to figure out a way to decide who gets the scroll!"

"Rock-paper-scissors anyone?" suggested Choji hopefully.

"That's so childish," scoffed Ino. "Look, we're all academy graduates; why not fight for it?"

"Not my style," said Shikamaru, eyeing Ino with a shrewd gaze. "Let's do something _mature_ and just give it to the person who comes up with the best reason, eh?"

"_Fine. With. Me,_" hissed Ino through clenched teeth, irked by his choice of words.

"Great," said Shikamaru, indecently pleased. "And here's my reason: you can't get across the river by yourself anyway, Ino – so I guess you lose."

Ino stared at him, momentarily stunned. Then she balled her fists in anger. "So you'd abandon me here if I don't give up the scroll?"

"Bingo."

Ino let out a scathing laugh. "Nice try, Shikamaru – but it won't work. You can't get back across the river without me to hold the scroll above the water!"

"Wrong," Shikamaru smiled. "That's where Choji comes in – right, buddy?"

Choji grinned, catching on. "Yep, that's right."

Ino sputtered. "Why you – that's not fair! Just because you two are best friends, you gang up on me…!" A light switched on in Ino's head, and she smiled grimly. "But then again, because you _are_ best friends… who is going to get the scroll between the two of you? It's not like you can split it."

Shikamaru just smirked. He looked over at Choji. "Rock-paper-scissors work for you?"

"Sure, that's fine," said Choji brightly.

"Well, Ino, I guess we've got that settled. So what's it going to be?"

Ino grit her teeth, frustrated at being cornered so easily by Shikamaru. She glanced angrily between the two smug boys, a feeling of great resentment building up inside her. _Damn it all, I never even wanted to be stuck with these two idiots in the first place –_

And then it came to her.

"All right, Shikamaru. You and Choji have had your turn. Now here's mine: you two are going to give me the scroll – willingly – and you're even going to help me get back across the river – again, _willingly_…"

They both looked back at her skeptically. Shikamaru smirked. "Oh, yeah? And why would we 'willingly' do that?"

"Because if _I_ hand in the scroll to Asuma-sensei, it will ensure that I won't be on the same team with either of you anymore," pointed out Ino sweetly.

Shikamaru blinked.

"Damn. That really _was_ a good one," he muttered after a moment. Then Shikamaru sighed deeply and shrugged. "Oh, screw it – I'm convinced. Let's do it for Ino's sake, Choji."

"Sure, if you say so," agreed Choji.

"Jerks," muttered Ino. But she still couldn't help smiling in victory.

* * *

Noon arrived, and as promised Asuma returned to the river, carrying three box lunches with him. Stopping a few feet in front of the trio, he said nothing by way of greeting and just stood waiting expectantly.

Ino quickly stepped forward and pressed the scroll into his hand. Asuma examined it, noting its condition. Satisfied, he looked over his three students.

"Does this mean that everyone on this team has agreed that Yamanaka Ino will be designated as the one who has officially completed the challenge?"

"Yes!" beamed Ino, barely restraining herself from dancing with glee. Inside she was already squealing like a little girl. _I did it! I did it! I'm going to become a real genin after all – take THAT, Sakura!_

"Uh-huh," nodded Choji as Asuma glanced his way, his eyes already greedily focused on the lunch boxes. _Well, at least I'll be in class together with Shikamaru. I guess another year at the academy won't be so bad._

"Yeah, yeah," shrugged Shikamaru as he silently mulled over his resigned fate. _Damn, the things I'm forced to do on account of women – but at least this one worked out to my advantage. More or less…_

Asuma blinked, looking genuinely surprised. Then he broke into a broad smile.

"Well… I guess that means one thing. Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru, and Akimichi Choji – all three of you have successfully passed the challenge! _Congratulations!_"

There was an audible snap as three young necks jerked to attention. "_What?_" they all shouted together.

"You've all passed the test," repeated Asuma patiently. "You're all officially _genin_ now."

"B-but Asuma-sensei," sputtered Ino, recovering first. "How can that be? With just one scroll – wasn't the challenge figuring out how to get help crossing the river even though only _one_ person could ultimately win?"

"Oh, no – cooperating to cross the river isn't the challenge," said Asuma. "Most teams are smart enough to figure that out. It's dealing with the single scroll that really throws everyone off. Mission success often depends on being able to sacrifice personal interests in favor of the group objective. You all should be proud of yourselves – you're the first team that actually agreed on who would hand in the scroll." He pulled out a fresh cigarette and lit up, unmindful of the flabbergasted stares of his three pupils. "Pretty good teamwork, kids. That's _exactly_ what a three-man cell needs."

Ino felt her legs give out from under her. She plopped onto the grass in an undignified heap, where she was shortly joined by Shikamaru and Choji. Taking this as a cue that they were hungry, Asuma passed out the box lunches and took a step back, surveying his new team with satisfaction.

"Well, go ahead – eat up! What are you waiting for? Tomorrow morning you're all going to start your first official mission with me, so I want you fed and well-rested. Go on!"

Giving into his appetite in spite of his confusion, Choji eagerly tore into his lunch while Shikamaru and Ino began half-heartedly picking at their boxes. Looking pleased, Asuma wandered off towards the river's edge, taking long drags on his cigarette as he watched the water. After some time when they felt their sensei was sufficiently engrossed in his own thoughts, the three drew closer together.

"So… after all that, we're still going to be on the same team?" whispered Ino as she played with her salad.

"Uh-huh," grunted Shikamaru. He slowly speared a fish ball and grimaced.

"D'you tink we 'ould tell him the twuth?" asked Choji through a mouthful of rice.

Ino glanced up and then abruptly turned away in distaste. "Do you _want_ to end up back at the academy?" she retorted.

At this they all immediately looked up from their boxes, gazing uncertainly around at one another's faces. A minute passed as no one said anything, and then Shikamaru snorted.

"It's unanimous then – we're _all_ a bunch of idiots," he sighed.

"Yeah, I guess so…" admitted Choji.

Ino rolled her eyes. "Good to see we've all finally agreed on something," she muttered.


	8. Chapter 04 The Old Guard

**Chapter Four: The Old Guard**

* * *

The _Koi_ was a tavern located on the ground level of an unassuming building that had seen better days. Over the years more popular eateries such as _Ichiraku_ had siphoned off the younger crowd, and eventually it became a haven for an older, tougher generation of Konoha's inhabitants. The food was only average, the liquor was cheap, and it also didn't help that the surrounding neighborhood was going to seed. In other words, it was not the sort of place that attracted families.

For three of its regulars customers, that made it all the better.

The Trio had a standing date to meet here at the end of every week, as long as they could manage to squeeze it in between missions and family obligations. And more often than not, they found the time. So it was nothing unusual to the other _Koi_ regulars when Nara Shikaku slouched in that afternoon and made his way towards bar, to claim his usual spot besides two other familiar faces...

"About time you showed up," said Yamanaka Inoichi slyly as Shikaku slid on to the bar stool. "And here I was telling Choza that you were off playing hooky in the ancestral forest again."

"And why would I be doing that - especially today of all days?" he wondered.

"Inoichi was hoping you'd forgotten about the wager," answered Choza amiably.

"Not a chance," replied Shikaku with a smirk. "Not when Inoichi's buying."

Inoichi rolled his eyes in a put-upon manner, but he was in far too good a mood to be serious. There followed some more playful banter as the bartender served Shikaku.

"So how's your daughter?" asked Shikaku as he downed his first cup of sake.

"Doing beautifully," answered Inoichi promptly with no small hint of pride. "And graduating at the top of her group from the academy, as expected." He aimed another sly glance at Shikaku. "And how's _your_ son?"

"He's getting by okay," said Shikaku indifferently, maintaining a poker face. "He did manage to graduate after all."

"Still the slacker, huh?" said Inoichi knowingly. "Don't sweat it, Nara. He could just be a late bloomer…"

Shikaku shrugged as he downed a second cup. The problem wasn't a lack of aptitude – he knew his son was bright, regardless of his poor school grades. The challenge was finding ways to make him apply it. "True enough," he mussed thoughtfully, before glancing shrewdly at Inoichi. "Still, I count my blessings he's a boy. I hear it's tough dealing with daughters who want to bloom too early…"

Inoichi's smile faded as he abruptly emptied his own cup. "You don't know the half of it," he mumbled darkly.

Sensing distress, Choza patted his friend lightly on the back while Shikaku leaned over to refill his cup. "But look on the bright side, Inoichi – at least she aims high. She likes that Uchiha boy, right?"

Inoichi frowned. "How did you know that?" he asked suspiciously.

"Shikamaru."

Inoichi's frown deepened. "I don't care if he's an Uchiha. He could be a Hyuuga for all I care. Ino's not allowed to date until she's older, anyway."

"Spoken like an overprotective father," muttered Shikaku as he nursed his third cup. Privately he wondered if any boy would ever be good enough in Inoichi's eyes. Probably not, but that wasn't his concern anyway. _He_ had the opposite problem: making his son exert himself enough to be attractive to any girl. Or rather, as Yoshino believed, finding a girl who would be willing to take on his son. Ah, such troublesome difficulties...

Inoichi, however, wasn't about to let his comment slide. "Don't make light of something you'll never understand," he snapped. "Shikamaru's a boy. You won't be half so worried when he's older and out late at night with a girl!"

"Probably not," agreed Shikaku. "But Yoshino would be. Still, that's no reason to act like a mother hen, Yamanaka."

"Damn it, Nara, don't call me that!"

"Hey, if the shoe fits..."

"Am I going to have to separate you two again?" interrupted Choza, who had chosen that moment to intervene. "If I do, it'll cost you both a full-course meal. At a restaurant of _my_ choice," he added.

Shikaku and Inoichi immediately dropped the matter and returned to drinking their sake. After a minute of silence, they glanced over at each other and traded friendly smirks. No matter how many years had passed, some things never changed. Inoichi had always wanted to lead, Shikaku had never wanted to follow, and poor Choza was invariably caught in the middle...

But that wasn't necessarily such a bad thing.

Shikaku leaned over with a lazy grin. "Just don't forget, Inoichi - I'm the smart one," he said while refilling his cup.

"And _I'm_ the good-looking one," retorted Inoichi haughtily.

"And I'm the kind, gentle, _humble_ one," murmured Choza mildly.

A sheepish look came over his friends' faces, and then Shikaku and Inoichi both began to chuckle.

"Yeah, we know Choza," agreed Inoichi.

"No one's perfect," said Shikaku

A look of glee crossed Inoichi's face. "So don't blame Shikaku for having such a long way to go just to catch up to us, all right?"

Choza laughed as Shikaku rolled his eyes. But before he could get a return dig in, Choza had reached over to fill both their cups with his flask. "Time for a toast, old friends," he prompted.

Growing serious, the three lifted their cups and clinked them together.

"_To the new generation of Ino-Shika-Cho!"_


	9. Chapter 05 First Mission Rank D, Pt1

**Chapter Three: First Mission (Rank D), Pt. 1**

* * *

The morning of Team Asuma's first official mission passed uneventfully.

They were at a large private estate a short distance outside of Konoha. The applicants, who were wealthy land owners, had requested caretakers for the week as they would be away on a business trip. Asuma had been pleased to be given the assignment. "A little guard duty combined with an opportunity to train your muscles," he had told his pupils on their walk over. "It's a good first mission for a novice team."

_Of course, he conveniently left out the part about our becoming housemaids_, thought Shikamaru bitterly as he gingerly stretched his back, trying to work out a developing knot. They'd barely had an opportunity to stand in awe of the grounds before Asuma sprang the sizable list of chores they were expected to complete, and immediately assigned them to work. It was a nasty shock for all three _genin_, especially Shikamaru. He detested this sort of thing.

Sighing, Shikamaru headed reluctantly into the large entrance room, where he found his teammates already waiting, having just finished their own tasks. Ino was sitting at the end of a long sofa, impatiently tapping a foot. Catching his eye, she made a _tsk_ sound that plainly implied, '_What took you so long?'_ Ignoring her, Shikamaru sank down onto the cushioned seat at the other end, closing his eyes blissfully.

"What's this? Taking a break already?" said Asuma pleasantly as he strolled into the room a minute later, wiping his hands on a rag.

"We've been waiting for you!" huffed Ino indignantly, at which Shikamaru gave a snort that said, _'Yeah right._'

"Master Asuma, I'm really hungry," whined Choji petulantly from where he sat slumped against the wall.

"Didn't you bring any snacks?"

"I already finished those a few hours ago."

"Then go ahead and just eat your lunch."

"Er… about that," mumbled Choji, turning pink. "I already had that. And… I, uh, sort of sampled, too…"

Shikamaru groaned. He already guessed where this was going. Ino gaped as realization dawned on her.

"_You ate my lunch!"_ she shouted, springing up from the sofa.

"But there wasn't hardly anything in it!" Choji said defensively. "I really thought it was just a snack! And Shikamaru hates boiled eggs; I knew he wouldn't miss _that_."

"Gee, thanks," muttered Shikamaru halfheartedly, not relishing the idea of starving the rest of the day.

"You… you greedy _idiot!_ That doesn't mean you can just –!"

"Let it go, Ino," said Asuma in a calm but firm manner. "And Choji, I don't want to hear about this happening again, okay?" Shaking his head tiredly, he glanced up at a wall clock. "Hmm… guess that means I'll have to go back into town and buy lunch for us. All right – front and center, kids."

Ino immediately stood up before Asuma, with Shikamaru and Choji shuffling into place next to her.

"I'm going to leave you on your own for awhile. Your instructions are to keep working until I get back. I want you to pick one thing on this list that all three of you together will help with. Think you can handle it?"

They all nodded their assent, and Asuma handed the list off to Ino. Noticing how she beamed at this, Shikamaru rolled his eyes.

"Master Asuma…," began Choji eagerly.

"_Yes_, Choji, I'll make sure to get extra portions for you this time." He lifted his hand in a casual wave as he opened the front door. "See you all in awhile!"

* * *

As soon as Asuma left, Shikamaru slumped against the nearest wall. "Man, this _sucks_. Why don't we just take a break until we eat?"

"No, we _can't_," responded Ino as she looked over the list. "Master Asuma expects us to keep working until he gets back."

Shikamaru threw her a disgruntled look. "What's the rush? We're going to be stuck here all day anyway."

"Well, we wouldn't be so slow if you would just pick up the pace, Shikamaru!" chastised Ino. "And _you_, Choji! I finished washing all the interior windows a long time ago and you only just finished the outside!"

Choji had drooped onto a chair near the entrance and was rubbing his stomach mournfully. "I can't help it, Ino. I get slow when I'm hungry."

"You're slow regardless!" she retorted. Chewing her lip fretfully, Ino considered the remaining work to be done. "You know, I don't know why Asuma asked us to work together – I'll bet we could cut our time in half if we all agreed to take one of these chores alone. We just have to make sure we each finish before Asuma returns. Then we won't have so much left over this afternoon. What do you think?"

She looked up at Choji and saw him nodding at her. Shikamaru shrugged indifferently but Ino could tell that even he seemed to approve of her suggestion. A small jolt of pleasure shot through her unexpectedly.

_Wow, they're actually going along with me for once…_

"Okay!" she said cheerfully, feeling psyched. "Then I think it would be best if –"

"Hold it, Ino." Shikamaru leaned forward to casually whisk the list out from Ino's hands and resumed leaning against the wall. "I want to see what's left before you start handing out assignments." Ignoring Ino scowling angrily at him, he quickly perused the paper. Then with a disgusted snort, Shikamaru passed it back to her. "Wonderful. We haven't even gotten to the outside chores yet."

"I _know_," said Ino testily. "Which is why I was about to say that you and Choji should pick something from the outdoor tasks. Like…" she quickly skipped down the list. "_Pulling weeds in the garden_."

"Please don't talk about gardens," moaned Choji, who was staring longingly at the kitchen door.

Shikamaru grimaced. "Huh, why should _we_ do that? Why don't you do it, Ino – you're the one with gardeners in your family."

Ino looked insulted. "Cultivating flowers isn't the same thing as _farming!_" she said derisively.

"Yeah, right. I'd say that's a matter of perspective, isn't it?"

"Well, if you don't like it, how about this one: _Clean out the stables_. How about it, Shikamaru? You're the one with herders in your family!"

Shikamaru looked pained. "Actually, I'd say that one's right up your alley, too. Seriously, where do you think the fertilizer you spread on your precious plants comes from?"

"Don't talk about it like that!" said Ino, curling her lips in distaste. "It's disgusting!"

"Well _I_ think degunking a sink is pretty disgusting, too. But I did that already – _and_ the toilets, besides." Shikamaru sent her a vaguely accusatory look. "So where were you during that fun task, Ino?"

"I was on my knees polishing the huge floor inside the dining room – all by myself!" she retorted. "And I'd hardly call that a fun job, either."

"Hey, it's not _my_ fault housecleaning is so lame." Shikamaru heaved a weary sigh. "It beats me why they call stuff like this a 'ninja mission' anyway. It's grossly overrated."

"Don't complain about having to do a little hard work for the village, Shikamaru!" said Ino, though privately she agreed with him. She couldn't help wondering what Sakura and her team were up to. No doubt they'd been given a much cooler, easier mission… which they had probably already finished. Clenching the paper in disgust, she burst out, "You know, I'll bet that if Sasuke were here, he'd already have blasted through this list by now!"

Cocking an eye, Shikamaru stared skeptically at Ino. "And since when does being born an Uchiha make someone an expert on _housework_?"

Ino flared up. "Because he's a _genius_, Shikamaru – a bona-fide genius who can do _anything_ he sets his mind to! He'd do any job fast and expertly!"

Shikamaru scowled. "Oh, yeah? Well Sasuke isn't here, Ino."

"_Obviously!"_

_That does it_, thought Shikamaru, jamming his hands in his pockets as he quietly pushed himself off the wall_. I'll be damned if I'm going to stick around here and listen to myself being compared to Uchiha. Like I don't hear enough crap like this when I'm at home._

"Where are you going?" demanded Ino as he stalked past her.

"Outside. I'm taking care of the animals. It'd be a pain to see them suffer at the hands of the inept."

"_Shikamaru –!"_

"Sorry, Choji, you're on your own," muttered Shikamaru as he headed outside, leaving the door open in his wake. As far as he was concerned, if Ino was in the house, he planned to be well out of it.

"_Fine!"_ Ino hollered angrily after him. "We'll just see who does their job better – I'm staying in here and taking care of the dusting!" She grabbed a fresh rag and headed towards a side room. "See you later, Choji. I'm going to start in the parlor now!"

_That's all right with me_, thought Choji, who had long since ceased paying much attention to either of his teammates. He had plans of his own.


	10. Chapter 05 First Mission Rank D, Pt2

**Chapter Three: First Mission (Rank D), Pt. 2**

_**

* * *

**~ Upstairs with Ino ~_

In a burst of energy largely fueled by extreme irritation, Ino had flown through the downstairs rooms and hallway in record time, albeit a bit carelessly. Nevertheless, she was pleased with herself, certain that she would be the first to finish her task. _I just have to finish the upstairs now, _she thought, as she climbed the stairs. _Can't wait to see the look on his face when I tell him I'm all done…_ Smirking, Ino skipped over the last step and found herself in a hallway of doors.

"_How_ many rooms does this place have?" she burst out in dismay.

Feeling as if she'd been cheated, Ino angrily strode over to the first door on her right and threw it open. She walked through, duster at the ready to attack the nearest exposed surface, and abruptly stopped in amazement. Judging from its décor, this was obviously the bedroom of the family's daughter – and a fine place it was. It was elegantly furnished, tastefully feminine, and easily twice as spacious as her own bedroom.

_Some girls are so lucky_, thought Ino, who couldn't help feeling a pang of envy as she looked around.

A flash of silver caught her eye and Ino was drawn across the room to a vanity, where a montage of photographs sat in an ornate frame. Picking it up, she peered curiously at the pictures, quickly focusing on the image of a girl who appeared in each one. She was a petite, lovely creature, and in every shot she was surrounded by family and admirers, growing from child to teenager. But what really drew Ino's eye was the central portrait: the now grown young woman gazing dewy-eyed up at the face of a smiling, strikingly handsome young man. Ino sighed.

_And then some girls are just_ _**sickeningly**__ lucky._

A feeling of disappointment settled over Ino. Glancing away from the photographs, she caught sight of herself in the vanity's mirror, and for the next minute examined herself, turning and tilting her head in various poses as she fretfully chewed her lip.

_What does that girl have that I don't?_

Suddenly recollecting herself, Ino tossed her hair in a confident, almost defiant manner. She struck a glamorous pose and grinned brightly at her reflection.

_Oh brother, what nonsense! I look fine… No, I'm more than fine; I'm pretty, too. I know I am! My parents think so, and everyone else says I am, too, ever since I can remember. I know I could attract a really cute boy, someday._

An image of Sasuke popped into her head, and Ino's smile faltered.

_But then again… if that's true… then why…?_

Dropping her arms to her sides, Ino twisted sideways, critically examining her profile in the mirror. Her eyes swept down her legs, snapped back up to her waist, then drifted to her posterior… _Ugh, am I gaining weight there again? _Ino frowned in annoyance. It was an ongoing source of frustration, made worse by the fact that her mother didn't take it as seriously as she did. "Ino, you're entering a time of life when your body changes dramatically," she'd said one day when Ino discovered that a skirt she'd worn only three months ago no longer fit properly. "It's natural for a growing girl."

_Not if it means growing in all the wrong places, Mom._

Abruptly looking away from the mirror, Ino clenched the duster in her hand and began to savagely swipe the surface, almost knocking over the picture frame in her vigor. That accomplished, she turned away from the vanity looking for something else to attack, and noticed an oversize wardrobe standing next to the door. She approached and casually ran the duster across the ornate wood, pausing over a handle – intrigued in spite of herself. Giving into temptation, she pulled open the door and gasped, dropping the duster.

_So many outfits! Geez, just how rich are these people, anyway?_

Ino felt another pang of longing. True, her family did fairly well with their flower business; certainly she'd always had plenty of nice clothes. Still, she'd always liked pretty things and could tell that these were of much higher quality than anything she'd ever owned. Ino fingered her _shinobi_ outfit wistfully, regretting how it was becoming really more like a uniform, but no one could afford to constantly replace an entire wardrobe as opposed to a few pieces. At least it had style…

Ino hesitated for a moment, then with a furtive glance towards the door, reached out to glide her fingers along the fine fabrics. _That one has to be pure silk – and this one, cashmere._ Growing bolder, she lifted one of the garments and pulled it out, revealing a lovely, flowery dress; it was even the perfect color to complement her skin and eyes. Running back to the vanity, Ino put the dress up against her body, twisting to look at her reflection in the mirror.

_Wow, it looks like it may even be my same size! Wouldn't that be funny…_

A daring smile lit her face, and Ino moved to quietly shut the bedroom door. Then she shucked her skirt and blouse off, leaving only her undergarments and body wrappings on, and pulled the dress over her head. At first it passed smoothly like a sheath over her chest and waist – and then the fabric bunched up as it reached the curve of her hips. Undeterred, Ino began to shimmy, trying to wiggle the dress down and into place. After a few uncomfortable minutes, she grinned in triumph as she tugged the last few inches over her thighs. She turned to preen in front of the mirror, noting that the fabric was pulling too tightly around her rear. Frowning, Ino fussed with the hem, giving it a quick twist –

_Riiiiip._

Ino gasped in horror as she stared at the large gap that now ran up along her hip. Struggling to take off the dress without causing more damage, Ino shuddered, wondering if she could possibly explain how this happened. And then another realization hit her.

_She's already a full-grown adult – and she's __**thinner**__ than I am!_

Rushing back to the dresser, she began to flip through the clothes, noting their dress size. Every one was the same as the ruined dress… or smaller. In desperation, Ino randomly seized a second garment.

_Impossible! At least one of these things has got to fit me!_

"Maybe I should go on a diet," Ino murmured, as she began unwinding her body bandages.


	11. Chapter 05 First Mission Rank D, Pt3

**Chapter Three: First Mission (Rank D), Pt. 3**

_

* * *

~ Outside with Shikamaru ~_

"Man, this is _such_ a drag."

Shikamaru leaned against a fence as he watched a herd of goats nibbling grass within a small paddock. He'd brought them out here while he'd cleaned out their pens, and now he was killing time letting them eat before he drove them back inside. It was a tedious, smelly job which only reinforced his resolve to _never_ join the Nara family deer herding profession. His relatives must be _insane_.

Turning away, Shikamaru stifled a yawn. He felt worn out already, and there was still more to do. Thinking about that, he shot an annoyed glare towards the house, resentful that he'd been driven to accept this particular job. More than anything he wanted to take a nap right now. If only he had a nice, clean patch of grass, or –

He suddenly noticed that he was standing not far from a copse of shade trees. Shikamaru quickly surveyed its layout and smiled. Even better, it looked as if the trees would block him from the view of anyone who may happen to be looking out a window…

_Well, a few minutes won't kill anyone. And I sure could use a break._

Strategically picking a spot that would provide maximum seclusion, Shikamaru sat down beneath the trees, propping his back against a trunk. Feeling the gentle breeze flowing around his face, he peered up at the sky through contented, half-closed eyes. A sense of relief and peace immediately settled over him.

_Ahhh… that's more like it. _

A few minutes passed quietly as Shikamaru indulged in his favorite hobby, cloud watching. It was not, contrary to what some thought, that he necessarily found the clouds themselves overly fascinating (although tracing shapes was always fun). It was that he loved to _think_, and that required a certain amount of peace and solitude, and the inspiration induced by staring up at a beautiful sky. Besides, it was much easier to say "cloud watching" and not get into tedious explanations about what he was _really_ thinking, should anyone bother asking. There was nothing better if he wanted to work out some curious or troublesome matter. But, he had to admit, all the cloud watching in the world couldn't solve some mysteries.

For instance, he could never figure out why his mother was _always_ on his case. It had been like that for years…

On the very first day at the academy, as a general introduction, the teachers asked everyone to share something about their families. When it was Shikamaru's turn to describe his mother, it did not occur to him to mention her features, her personality, or any hobbies she enjoyed. The only thing he said was, "She's a troublesome woman who just likes to nag – I have no idea why my father married her."

This statement, of course, got Shikamaru into hot water when she found out afterwards, probably from some ninny classmate's gossiping mother. Moreover, he'd never seen her as angry with him as she was that day – she burst into his room and started yelling, and wouldn't stop. It also precipitated a rare event wherein Shikamaru actually lost his temper and began shouting back. The screaming, which seemed interminable but must have only lasted a few minutes, ended when his father forced them to stop. Afterwards, as he cried angry tears in the dark, Shikamaru decided that the fight, besides being utterly pointless, had only left him drained and vulnerable – he hated that feeling. He vowed that he wouldn't let himself get so provoked ever again, no matter what she said.

Another thing that was annoying about his relationship with his mother was how little sympathy he got from anyone. His father, whom he respected in many ways, was no help at all. Shikaku would listen, and shrug, and sometimes have a cryptic piece of advice for his son, but never once did he ever take Shikamaru's side against Yoshino. Even his best friend did little better.

"Shikamaru, don't you like your mother?" asked Choji one day as they lay together on the roof of the Akimichi house, watching the late summer sunset.

"… _Huh_. You don't know what she's like."

"But… she's always nice to me," insisted Choji. "She always gives me something good to eat whenever I go visit you."

"You're not her son."

The troubling thing was that, for a moment, Shikamaru really hadn't known how to answer Choji. He supposed there must have been a time when they got along. But that was so far in the distant past that he couldn't remember anymore. All he knew was that whatever he wanted to do, his mother had something to say against it. If he wanted sweets, she said it would ruin his dinner. If he wanted to take a nap, she called him a useless lazybones. He was too slow in the morning. He slouched at the table. His grades were horrible. The list of faults was endless – nothing he did, apparently, was ever right. And every year it got a little worse.

So that was another reason Shikamaru loved cloud watching. It was the perfect antidote to a tough day, and he always felt better and more energetic – relatively speaking – afterwards. In his opinion, life would be so much easier if people would get a clue and take a few minutes every day to just _chill out _– especially uptight people like his mother, or for that matter, Ino. _That_ was another mystery he had yet to work out satisfactorily.

It was as Shikamaru said to Asuma the very first day – sure, he knew Ino, but only incidentally, the same way he "knew" everyone else in their graduating class. Their fathers may have run together back in the day, but that bond had never really flowed over into their personal lives, had it? So how could their instructors assume that their children would naturally work together in a cell? After all, it was just an odd coincidence that he became best friends with Choji. Moreover, they'd had years to get to know each other, so it was already a given they'd get along just fine. But as for Ino… how the heck did _she_ fit in?

For as far back as Shikamaru could remember, Yamanaka Ino was pretty, popular, and always on the go. She got along with the teachers, did well in her classes, and had lots of casual friends – basically, they operated at opposite ends of the school's social spectrum. In or outside of school, their paths crossed very little, and neither had any compelling reason to wish it otherwise. So Shikamaru only had a very few vivid memories of her, though one of these had been recurring to him recently. One day after he'd been separated from Choji by Iruka yet again for being "mutually disruptive influences," Ino had unexpectedly taken the empty seat next to him. At the time he'd thought it was strange that she hadn't gone to sit with her best friend Sakura. It was right after that he'd noticed that those two, who once had been as inseparable as he and Choji, were suddenly no longer speaking to one another.

Not that this ultimately mattered to him; he'd only been searching his memory for clues to help figure her out. It was a pointless exercise. They'd only been teammates for a few days, but it was long enough for Shikamaru to decide that Ino was essentially another in the mold of his mother: temperamental, bossy, and a little too sure of herself. And she was full of contradictions. First she'd been mean, calling Choji fat and him lazy. Then after they'd pulled her from the river she'd been nice, almost sweet even. Then suddenly – bam! – she went right back to being her old bossy self. It was enough to drive anyone crazy… unless you just ignored her, of course.

Shikamaru sighed. Ino was a mystery, all right, easily summed up by one indisputable fact: she was a girl, and _all_ girls were invariably a pain in the neck. Although, he amended darkly as his mother came to mind, _some_ were definitely more so than others. He could even hear her latest complaint as he walked out the door that morning: _You never think about your future, Shikamaru. How will you ever grow up to become someone important if you carry on like this?_

He smirked. Growing up sounded like a huge hassle, not to mention boring. But his mother was wrong if she really thought he'd never given it serious thought. Of course Shikamaru wasn't so stupid as to think it would never happen; adulthood was inevitable, and he had already decided on his course of action. All he really wanted was a quiet life with little obligation. Therefore, he would arrange things to suit that plan: an average job, a plain wife, the requisite children, an easy retirement, a quick exit. A perfectly ordinary life that would cause Shikamaru as little fuss and inconvenience as possible – it was what _he_ wanted, not his mother. What the heck did it matter to her if he never became anyone important, anyway? That kind of life was overrated. It meant a load of expectations and responsibilities he'd be better off without.

_Nothing but a pain in the butt. No thanks!_


	12. Chapter 05 First Mission Rank D, Pt4

**Chapter Three: First Mission (Rank D), Pt. 4**

_

* * *

~ Downstairs with Choji ~_

After his teammates left the room, Choji had waited for almost ten whole minutes before making his move. It was a remarkable feat of self-restraint, possibly even a personal record, though admittedly one spurred on by fear and necessity. He doubted that either Ino or Shikamaru would have stood idly by if he'd attempted something like this earlier.

His stomach let out an audible growl like a small animal's whine. Choji grimaced. It felt as if a hole was being gnawed through his midsection.

_I can't stand this anymore… I've gotta go for it!_

Hesitating, he listened for Ino, but the sounds of her cleaning – occasionally punctuated by a loud thud – were fading as she moved further away. And he was sure that Shikamaru was gone for good, at least until Asuma returned. Choji gulped. Then getting up from chair, he crept stealthily across the floor, both eyes fixed firmly on the kitchen door.

He reached out for the handle…

The sound of a door being slammed nearby sent Choji scuttling back across the room in a blind panic. Crouching in the corner, he saw Ino suddenly reappear, a duster now clenched in her fist and an angry glint in her eye: an aura of fire seemed to be surrounding her. Seized with terror, Choji was about to guiltily prostrate himself before her – but then she stormed directly across the room without so much as a glance at him. He heard her footsteps rapidly ascending the staircase and fade away.

Heaving a sigh of relief, Choji stood up slowly, rubbing his chest instead of his stomach. _Geez, Ino's scary when she gets like that. At least she didn't notice me._

Another loud growl erupted from his stomach. Choji sighed. A second trip found him again outside the kitchen, where with renewed determination he pushed the door open and slipped inside.

Looking around with expert eyes, Choji had to admit that it was well-equipped as far as kitchens went, but it still didn't hold a candle to anything an Akimichi would have. Nevertheless, these people seemed to know what they were doing… and that had to mean one thing. Choji felt his spirits lifting as his gaze fell on a small side door in the room's corner: the larder, no doubt. Grinning, he hastened over, saying a silent _'thank you'_ as he twisted the knob.

He was immediately rewarded by the heavenly smell of cured meats and other foodstuffs filling his nostrils. "Oh… I'm in _love_," murmured Choji as he walked inside, staring around at the fully stocked shelves. He began to drool, beckoned forward by a cheese that had already been cut into. Reaching out, Choji broke off a chunk and lifted it to his mouth.

A prick of conscience caused him to pause. _Wait a minute… I can't do this. This isn't my house, we're on a mission – and what's everyone going to say if they catch me like this…?_

An angry, insistent rumble from his belly seemed to answer for him: _So don't get caught then!_

Quickly pushing the cheese into his mouth, Choji felt its creamy texture melt over his tongue in a gratifying explosion of flavor, and all thoughts of Asuma and the others faded away. Sighing happily, he pulled out a _kunai_ and lopped off a larger slice. Consuming that, he spotted several large pickling jars and packaged dried fruits, and in short order sampled each of their contents without ill effect. Unconventional taste combinations were a specialty of his, after all.

Licking his fingers as he cast about for something more substantial, Choji was overcome by a familiar sense of relief and disappointment. It was a troubling paradox: why did eating make him feel both good _and_ bad? He couldn't understand it.

Ever since he'd been born, he'd _always_ been… plump. Big-boned. Large for his age. There were a myriad of euphemisms to describe it, and Choji had grown up taking this for granted: everyone in his family was the same way, so what did it matter?

But when he grew older and started going out into the neighborhood on his own, Choji began to notice how different his family was from everyone else's. And it was also the very first time he'd ever heard _that_ word. One day he came across a trio of boys his age who weren't doing anything, just idling underneath a tree in a nearby park. Eager to make some friends, he approached them. But on spotting Choji, the tallest boy in the group nudged one of the others, and broke into a cold grin.

"Hey, guys – check out the little _fatso_ over there!"

"Yo, _fatty_, did you get lost waddling your way to the candy store?"

"Yeah, I'd have to go kill myself if I'd been born such an ugly _fatass!_"

Bewildered, Choji left quickly, knowing that he was being made fun of but not comprehending why. Afterwards Choza had done his best to gently explain the situation, and offer some hope to his son: "Someday, Choji, you'll meet someone who sees you for the kind person you are on the inside. You'll see."

Choji believed his father wholeheartedly, and on that assurance had approached the local kids time and again, hoping to find those who would finally accept him. Sometimes they let him play, but it never turned out well, and nothing changed. As time went by, even the kindest heart couldn't help hardening against the thoughtless cruelty inflicted by his peers, and Choji began to develop a hypersensitivity to the subject. What did it matter that his body wasn't thin like everyone else's? Didn't they get it? He _had_ to eat. It was in his blood – literally! The injustice of it all made him _furious._

But anger was a fleeting emotion, quickly supplanted by depression. And that was the other half of Choji's dilemma: whenever he was down, there was nothing more comforting than food. So eventually an extra helping at dinner became three refills, new "mealtimes" were added, and the snacking was nonstop. For the most part it worked: Choji always felt better, at least for awhile. There were drawbacks, however. Everything, it seemed, made him hungry these days… and he was always the same person whenever he inadvertently glanced in a mirror.

Not that this was really much of a detriment anymore. Apart from Shikamaru, it wasn't as if anyone had ever liked him anyway.


	13. Chapter 05 First Mission Rank D, Pt5

**Chapter Three: First Mission (Rank D), Pt. 5**

_

* * *

~ Downtown Konoha with Asuma ~_

Asuma had just stepped out onto the street, balancing a bulky package in his right arm, when he heard a sultry voice call out to him.

"Well! That's quite a stack you have there," said Kurenai, appearing out of the passing crowd. "I hope you're not planning on eating all that yourself."

"They're for my team." Asuma gestured to the lunch boxes. "Three are for Choji and three are for the rest of us."

She laughed pleasantly. "I see. That must be hard on your wallet." Eyeing Asuma keenly, Kurenai drew a little closer. "So… today was your team's very first mission, right? How did it go?"

"Hmm… not so good. They haven't made as much progress as I'd have liked. I'm not even sure we'll have gotten as far as we need to by the end of today. I'll just have to see what they've finished when I get back."

Kurenai raised her brows in surprise. "You mean you've left them _alone_ already? Are you sure that was wise?"

Asuma shrugged. "Couldn't be helped, but even so it's about the only way for me to really know how they'll function without supervision. After all, someday they're going to be off on their own."

"But that won't be for _years!_" protested Kurenai. "There's plenty of time to figure out their strengths and weaknesses – why rush it?"

"You can never be too sure about that," said Asuma as he took a drag on his cigarette. "In any case, I've only been gone for a little while. How much trouble can they get into?"

Kurenai shook her head. "You're a little too relaxed about this, don't you think?"

"Nah. At the most I expect them to get on each other's nerves a little." Seeing Kurenai's curious expression, he added: "Ino's appointed herself team leader, since the other two aren't inclined to do much themselves. So she tends to boss them around – henpecks them a lot, really."

"_Any_ girl would become a nag with two sluggards on her team," said Kurenai pointedly.

"True enough," admitted Asuma. "Well, I guess I'd better be getting on back to them."


	14. Chapter 05 First Mission Rank D, Pt6

**Chapter Three: First Mission (Rank D), Pt. 6**

_

* * *

~ Meanwhile Back at the Farm ~_

Shikamaru felt something licking his face insistently. He cracked open one groggy eye, feeling a little disoriented. _Did someone forget to feed the cat?_ Great, it would give his mother another reason to pick on him first thing in the morning. Then again, since when did cat's tongues feel so wet…?

A long, furry white face swam hazily into view, and Shikamaru found himself unexpectedly staring bleary-eyed back at two dark eyes. Just as his mind registered what he was seeing, he was treated to a particularly sloppy nuzzle across his mouth.

"_Arrgghh!"_ Shikamaru scrambled to his feet, furiously wiping his face. "Gah… _disgustin_g_!"_ He sensed his assaulter bounding off to the left and stumbled blindly after.

_Blast it, one of the goats got free. I've got to get it back inside the pen before…._

He finally managed to open both eyes fully and came to an abrupt halt. The carefully tended yard was dotted with goats, contentedly grazing on the manicured lawn plants and in the adjacent garden. For a heart-stopping moment, Shikamaru was rooted to the ground as his brain seized on two details: first, that there was no way he'd be able to hide this from Asuma, and second, that half of the goats seemed to be missing. Then he spotted one of the little beasts trotting through the still open front door.

_Aw, crap!_

"CHOJI!" hollered Shikamaru as he charged inside the house. _"We've got a problem!"_

As he'd feared, all the missing goats were roaming through the downstairs rooms, with overturned furniture, soiled carpets and chewed draperies marking their path of progress. Shikamaru cringed in horror at the sight. Then he gazed about confusedly. Hadn't anyone else noticed this? Why wasn't that fussbudget Ino screaming her head off? And where the heck was Choji?

A sneaky suspicion entered Shikamaru's mind as he wondered about his missing best friend: there was really only _one_ thing that could so utterly preoccupy an Akimichi. With a sinking feeling, he weaved through the hallway and into the kitchen, where even more animals were milling about. Spotting the open pantry, Shikamaru stuck his head inside just in time to catch Choji belching loudly as he set down a freshly emptied pickle vat.

"_Er…_" began Choji, catching his friend's repulsed expression. He blushed with embarrassment. "What's up, Shikamaru?"

Wordlessly, Shikamaru seized the other boy by the collar and dragged him to the doorway, where he pushed Choji headfirst into the kitchen. Then he waited the requisite moment.

"How did all these goats get inside?" asked Choji, bewildered.

"Let's not get into troublesome explanations _now_," said Shikamaru testily. "We've got to get them out of the house before they completely ruin this place!"

The two boys immediately set to work trying to round up the animals, but it was more difficult than they expected. The kitchen with its large tables and blocky shelving was like an obstacle course, and the goats were determined to elude. After five minutes of uninterrupted chaos, Shikamaru leaned back heavily against the wall, surveying their efforts in disgust.

"For crying out loud, Choji, I keep telling you to go _left_ when you run around that counter. They come scattering back into the room otherwise!"

"I've been _trying_!" yelled Choji as he desperately tried lunging at a goat from behind. "But they're too fast for me!"

_Crap_, thought Shikamaru as he shooed a pair away from the larder. _There's too many of them running around in here for me to freeze at once. We need more help._

"Where's Ino?" he suddenly asked.

"I don't know! I think I heard her going upstairs some time ago!"

"Geez, then why the heck isn't she down here already? Especially with all this _racket!"_ With a snort of annoyance, Shikamaru made up his mind. "That does it – Choji, I'm going to grab Ino!"

"Fine, just hurry!" pleaded Choji distantly as Shikamaru ran out of the kitchen and pounded up the stairs two at a time. Cresting the top he came to an abrupt halt, taken aback by the hallway of doors. He scowled in irritation. _Blast it all, we don't have time for this!_

"Yo, Ino, where are you?" he shouted. "Can you hear me? HEY, INO!"

His attention was drawn by the sound of drawers being hastily slammed shut. The noise was coming from the closest door on his right. He strode over and impatiently banged a fist against the wood.

"Are you _hiding_ in there, Ino? Get out here now; we've got an emergency!"

"NO!" shouted Ino angrily through the door. "Go away, Shikamaru! Don't you _dare_ come in here!"

"Yeah, right – you're not getting out of _this_ one," muttered Shikamaru, ignoring her as he twisted the doorknob and burst into the room. "Damn it, don't ignore me! Haven't you heard us shouting downstairs for the past…!"

Afterwards, Shikamaru would frame this incident in context with one of the few academy lessons he'd bothered to actually listen to: every _shinobi_ will someday experience a life-or-death situation when time will apparently slow down, so that afterwards each moment sticks in the mind with vivid clarity.

And so it was: the first thing he saw when he entered the bedroom was Ino's shocked face and a lot of bare skin.

The second thing he saw was Ino's fist and a whole lot of stars.

* * *

The next thing Shikamaru knew, he was opening his eyes to see Asuma's mildly unenthused face staring down at him.

"Have a pleasant nap, kid? How many does that make for today?"

Shikamaru gingerly rubbed his sore head as he sat up. Apparently he'd been carried downstairs and laid out on a sofa after being knocked senseless by Ino – whom, he noticed, was standing well behind Asuma and glaring at him like she'd love to take a second shot. Choji, meanwhile, was sitting at the foot of the sofa and watching him curiously. Shikamaru groaned, partially from pain and also from imagining what Choji must be thinking. "Not nearly enough, actually… did you have to wake me up?"

Asuma sighed. _To hell with not smoking in the house_, he thought as he reached into his vest and pulled out a fresh cigarette. _Besides, it won't make much difference now, seeing what the goats left behind._ After taking a deep, relaxing puff, Asuma decided that, no, he really _couldn't_ ignore all this, much as he'd prefer to. _Damn._

"All right, folks. It's time for a little lecture. Grab a seat." He turned towards Ino and gestured her towards the sofa.

Ino gasped indignantly. "Master Asuma, I don't want to sit next to that _pervert!_" she cried angrily.

Shikamaru scowled. "Hey, _I'm_ not the one dancing naked in a stranger's house!" he replied sarcastically.

"_Zip it_, Shikamaru. _Sit_, Ino," said Asuma, something in his intonation prompting them to instantly fall quiet. Ino grudgingly took the spot next to Shikamaru, and both immediately scooted as far apart as they could. Asuma sighed again, carefully considering his words.

"Let me put this to you all very plainly. You are a _team_ – did you or did you _not_ figure out that much after you passed the first challenge?"

Seeing the blank (or in some cases indifferent) expressions on their faces, Asuma grew disgruntled.

"I repeat – _you are a team_. This is not an individual competition. Every mission you undertake, no matter how apparently trivial, depends on each one of you doing your part so that the _whole_ succeeds. I cannot emphasize that point any more… but then here I have the results to back me up." Asuma gestured around the damaged room. "Imagine my surprise at finding my team hard at work making an even bigger mess than what we had started out with this morning. Whatever happened to that simple list of chores I recall asking you to finish _together_ before I left?"

They began to squirm uncomfortably.

"If you had stayed together _like I asked_, you would have kept each other on task. Ino, you wouldn't have started playing dress up if the boys were in the room with you, would you? You, Shikamaru, wouldn't have had the opportunity to fall asleep on the job if Ino and Choji had also been outside. And Choji, you wouldn't have gotten into the pantry if Shikamaru or Ino had been there to stop you, right?"

"Er, Asuma-sensei, about that… we thought it would be a lot faster if we split up," offered Ino meekly. "That's why we did it – honest!"

"What she said," mumbled Shikamaru as Choji nodded next to him.

Asuma paused to take another drag on his cigarette. "Well, it _might_ have worked – if any of you had the discipline to be trusted on your own. But none of you are capable of that yet… isn't that so? Instead, you all decided to go it alone because you were more interested in doing your own thing in your own way…" He looked pointedly between Ino and the boys. "Because at a basic level, you don't really trust or respect each other."

He stopped, letting that sink in. As Asuma studied their faces, he saw Shikamaru and Ino glance at each other and quickly look away, both faces hardening. He smiled humorlessly as he contemplated them.

_And that right there is the problem I've got to deal with first._

Realizing that they were too stubborn to act sufficiently chastened, Asuma decided to employ a tactic his father had often resorted to during his own childhood. "You know, I wonder now if it was a big mistake letting you all pass the first challenge…" He shook his head hopelessly. "Perhaps you all should just go straight back to the academy tomorrow morning."

All three faces paled. Instantly Ino was on her feet. "No, Asuma-sensei! _Please_ don't send me back!" she begged.

"It was a mistake. I won't do it again," mumbled Shikamaru.

"I'll do better – I _promise!"_ pleaded Choji.

Satisfied, Asuma casually threw up his hands. "All right, calm down… I'll tell you what. For the rest of this week, we are going to finish both what we were originally commissioned to do _and_ fix the damage you all caused today – for which your families will have to pay. And I'll leave it up to each of you to decide how you'll explain today's events to your parents. Agreed?"

He resisted the urge to smile as their looks of relief transformed into ones of dismay.

"Do we _have_ to tell them what happened?" asked Ino worriedly. "I mean, can't we say something non-specific? Like it was an, er, 'training accident'? Or maybe _you_ could –"

"No can do. Part of becoming an adult is accepting responsibility for your own actions, no matter how unpleasant," Asuma smiled as he took another drag. "And you _will_ tell them everything, or it'll be really awkward when I come around with the bill later this week… understood?"

Ino and Choji gulped but said nothing. "Oh, joy. What a _total_ pain in the ass this is going to be," muttered Shikamaru darkly. Then noticing Asuma's arched brow, he swiftly added, "But we'll just have to get it over with as quickly as possible… right, guys?"

"Speaking of pain in the asses, Shikamaru," continued Asuma wryly as Shikamaru threw him a disgruntled look, "There's even more joy to come. Next week we won't be taking on any ninja missions. Instead, we're going to go on a training trip – just the four of us. Consider it a belated 'getting-to-know-you' exercise. Bring enough gear to make it through at least five days. And that means extra food for you, Choji – we're going to be out in the woods, after all."

All three _genin_ groaned. None of them particularly relished the idea of being stuck out in the wilderness for the better part of a week.

Asuma finally stood up. "Okay, kids – lecture over. Now hurry up and eat these lunches, and then it's back to work."

Turning to glare pointedly at Shikamaru with an expression that said, _'this is all your fault,' _Ino seized the topmost box and flounced to the opposite side of the room, where she sat by herself near an open window. Grabbing the next box, an irritated Shikamaru withdrew to the opposite corner, gingerly touching his eye as he sat down. He cringed, wondering how on top of confessing everything to his excitable mother that he would explain to his smug _father_ about the source of his shiner. Then Choji was sitting down on the floor next to him.

"It was an accident," Shikamaru said quickly before Choji could say anything. "_Believe_ it."

Choji merely nodded. "Well, I kinda thought that's what happened. But even so…" His cheeks turned pink as he looked slyly at Shikamaru. "Did you, um, _see_ anything?"

"Frankly, I don't want to remember," grumbled Shikamaru, looking away quickly so that Choji couldn't see his angry blush. "Damn, how I _hate_ women!"


	15. Chapter 06 A Master's Evaluation

**Chapter Six: A Master's Evaluation**

* * *

Along the main waterway of Konoha was an upscale district that attracted a youthful crowd, and this was where the younger generation of ninja often congregated in their free time. And it was here outside of one of the trendier tea shops that Asuma paused to scratch his head, wondering if he was up to facing his friends.

It had been a _long_ week.

But a challenge was a challenge, and Asuma couldn't deny that there was a part of him that was interested in battling it out to the end regardless of how dim his prospects where. Still, he wasn't keen on becoming the main event at a bloodbath – and he had a feeling that Kurenai would somehow sniff out the trouble. _That woman..._

Thinking of her, he smiled in spite of himself._ Ah well, I guess there's nothing for it._

Asuma stepped into the shop, and indeed, no sooner was he inside than he saw those familiar, hypnotic eyes zeroing in. Then a sexy voice called out gamely to him:

"So how have things been with you, Suratobi?"

Kurenai was smiling warmly at him from the bench she and Kakashi occupied. As Asuma approached them, he noted her smile turning sly.

"I heard about that near-disastrous first mission of yours," she said laughingly. "Has everything been straightened out now?"

Asuma sighed. How Kurenai learned these things so fast he'd never know. Then again, it wasn't as if the news of some green _genin_ team wreaking havoc on a wealthy VIP's villa would keep quiet. Taking the seat across from her, he pulled out a fresh cigarette and lit up. "Well, let's just say it's all been taken care of. _Finally_."

As Asuma sat back to savor the feeling of nicotine flowing through him, Kurenai leaned forward to examine him.

"You're smoking a lot more these days," she observed, eyes narrowing. "How many cigarettes are you going through now?"

Asuma paused mid-drag, looking thoughtful. "Up to two packs a day, I think."

Kurenai looked appalled. "You're going to kill yourself!" she said sternly, crossing her arms. "Think about what you're doing to your lungs!"

"I feel fine," answered Asuma dismissively. "Besides, I need something to help me get through the day. Coffee's just not going to cut it." _Not with this bunch_, he added privately.

Kakashi finally glanced up from his novel to give Asuma an impassive once-over. "Hmm. Even if that's true, aren't you concerned about the smoke's effect on your students?"

"Nah, they're tough little bug- _er_, kids. And they've already stopped tearing up whenever they're downwind of me."

Seeing the incredulous look on Kurenai's face and the droll one on Kakashi's, Asuma waved his hand placatingly. "Hey, hey – don't worry! I figure I'll eventually cut back in about... _oh_..." He paused to think. "Three years or so."

Kakashi raised a brow knowingly. "Your students will probably all be _chuunin_ by then."

"I know."

* * *

Some time later after they'd eaten and shared in more good-natured bantering, Kurenai sat up straighter in her seat. She looked at the other two expectantly.

"Well, it's about time we got down to business. So... who would like to report first?"

She glanced at Kakashi, but he merely shrugged. "Ladies first," prompted Asuma quickly when she turned his way.

"All right, I'll start," said Kurenai with a roll of her eyes, but she quickly became more serious as she paused to gather her thoughts. "Let's see... leaving secret family _jutsus_ aside, what can I tell you guys about my team that isn't too revealing?"

"Just stick your general impression of them – that should be sufficient enough for our purposes tonight," answered Kakashi.

Brows knitting, Kurenai pressed a finger against her cheek for another minute before speaking. "To be honest, my team members have such diverse characteristics that it's been hard for me to get a handle on them," she finally admitted. "Take my two boys, Inuzuka Kiba and Aburame Shino: they're _total_ opposites."

_This is starting to sound rather familiar_, thought Kakashi as Kurenai began warming up to her subject:

"As you know, Shino graduated near the top of his class, whereas Kiba came from the lower end. But that has no meaning for Kiba: as far as he's concerned, he's the team leader, although Shino is plainly more qualified. And then there is their personalities: Kiba is the loud, fiery, open-natured type, whereas Shino is quiet, level-headed and a bit mysterious." Kurenai hesitated, laughing nervously. "Actually, Shino's… quite different. He takes some getting used to."

Kakashi and Asuma exchanged glances, each wondering what Kurenai was holding back as she continued speaking:

"Anyway, my boys have had some clashes already – I guess that's to be expected; they're too different. But they weren't enemies or friends to begin with, and somehow I think that seems to help. They're both starting from square one with each other. I can only hope that time will give them some grudging respect for one another."

_You're not the only one_, thought Kakashi dryly as Kurenai paused again. Her face became more pensive.

"However, they're not the ones I'm concerned about. It's my third member, Hyuuga Hinata, whom I _really_ worry for. I've never met anyone with such poor self-esteem – although I'm not really surprised why the girl has turned out that way," Kurenai said darkly. "She has great potential but almost no will power – it's really painful to watch. Even though she's blessed with that amazing bloodline limit, she's more of a liability than an asset because of her ineptitude..."

Kurenai sighed heavily. "Right now, the only good thing to having someone like Hinata in the group is that because of her weaknesses, she brings Shino and Kiba together, just a little. It's helping – but it's hardly what one wants in a team, though."

"Cheer up," said Asuma consolingly. "Believe it or not, those sound like average _genin_ problems. They'll probably start to come together more once they get some real battle experience, even the Hyuuga girl."

"Perhaps so," demurred Kurenai. "Anyway, that's enough about my team. So, Kakashi, what about yours? How are they getting along?"

Kakashi gazed absently up at the ceiling as he debated where to begin. "Hmm... I suppose it's another study in extreme personalities. You both know that I have Uchiha Sasuke _and_ Uzumaki Naruto, and everyone already knows what they're like: the class champion versus the class clown. Between the two of them it's impossible to find any common ground. But then I also have Haruno Sakura, who is something of a mixed bag herself: book-smart but not so skilled in practice. So when you add her into the mix with the other two..." He shrugged. "I suppose you could call the end result a bizarre little love triangle."

Asuma and Kurenai stared at him blankly, compelling Kakashi to elaborate: "Naruto has crush on Sakura and hates Sasuke. Sakura has a crush on Sasuke and hates Naruto. And Sasuke…" Kakashi smiled wanly. "Well, he seems to hate them both, actually."

The other two started to laugh. "Ha! Sounds like one of those crazy novels you love to read," joked Asuma.

"Raging teenage hormones… I feel sorry for you, Kakashi," chuckled Kurenai, shaking her head.

"It does keep things mildly amusing," remarked Kakashi. "And there's been at least one good development between Naruto and Sasuke because of it – their intense rivalry seems to be turning into its own driving force, especially for Naruto." Then he sighed. "I'd like to think it's a _good_ thing, but… Naruto has the tendency to take it too far."

"Well, it _is_ Naruto – I suppose you'd have to expect a lot of trouble from a kid like that," said Asuma. Kurenai nodded in agreement.

_Maybe, though I'm starting to wonder if that attitude is part of the problem_, thought Kakashi, who merely shrugged in response to the others. "So what about your group, Asuma? How are they all getting along?"

Asuma grimaced. _Here we go._

"Well, two of mine - Nara Shikamaru and Akimichi Choji - were already best friends before joining the team, so there are no problems between those two as far as group dynamics go. You'd think that would make things easier, but…" Asuma paused, taking a deep drag on his cigarette. "The other one, Yamanaka Ino, is completely different from them. You guys remember that she was the highest ranking female graduate, almost on a par with Uchiha. She's talented, driven, and a touch... opinionated. Whereas both of my boys are, ah, _underachievers_."

"Isn't that putting it nicely?" chided Kurenai.

"Um... yeah," agreed Asuma weakly. "Anyway, Ino usually ends up trying to boss them around, and while Choji isn't the type to stand up for himself, Shikamaru… he's passive-aggressive. So things have been going downhill fast between Ino and Shikamaru. It's already reached the point where I can tell their dislike is about to turn into active hatred if something isn't done about it."

"That's not good," observed Kakashi. "Your team will never succeed if they can't learn to put aside their personal issues and trust one another."

"Tell me about it."

"_Hmm_… are you absolutely sure they really don't like each other?" wondered Kurenai as she gazed thoughtfully at Asuma. "Could it be that they're actually secretly attracted to one another?"

Asuma knit his brows. "I've thought about that, too, and I'd say no… but then again, they _do_ tend to have stronger reactions to one another." He shrugged helplessly. "Whatever the case may be, it's interfering with their teamwork."

"Boy-girl tension, huh? Yes, that's much harder to solve, especially at their age," Kakashi mused. He laughed dryly. "I must be lucky then – at least Naruto and Sasuke can beat each other up."

"Oh, is that how you're letting them work things out?" Asuma grinned, considering the plan he'd hatched the previous evening. "Nah, I don't think that'll do it for me. But I've been thinking about it, and Kakashi, I've got a favor to ask. You remember that time when Obito tried pulling that prank that backfired on you both?"

Kakashi let out an exasperated snort. "Of course I remember that – it was one of the most annoying weeks of my life."

"Great. I need you to tell me how it worked."

"Are you _serious?_" Kakashi looked at him strangely. "Not that it matters to me how you go about training them, Asuma, but I don't think either of their fathers would be pleased. Especially Inoichi."

"It'll be fine. Besides, what they don't know won't hurt them," responded Asuma blithely. _Or me._

"Do I even want to know what you're talking about?" asked Kurenai.

"_No_," answered Asuma and Kakashi together.

Kurenai sighed. "Fine, be mysterious then. In any case, it's time to tally up the score: at this point, who are the weakest links on your team?"

"Ladies first," said Asuma again, which elicited a smile from Kurenai. But then her face fell as she thought about her answer:

"Much as I hate to admit it… Hinata."

"Naruto for me," said Kakashi without prompting. "No contest."

They turned to look expectantly at Asuma. He merely groaned.

"All three of them."

Kurenai burst out into merry laughter and Kakashi couldn't suppress a knowing smirk as he watched the other man slouch back in resignation.

"All right, Asuma – the bill's on you!"


End file.
